Pitt split ties school record for Big East wins

Pitt softball continued an historic week of play on Saturday, earning its first-ever split… Pitt softball continued an historic week of play on Saturday, earning its first-ever split with Syracuse as the Panthers took one of two matches from the home-standing Orange on Saturday afternoon.

The split comes in the same week that the Panthers (27-16 overall, 8-6 Big East) set a new school record for wins in a season, sweeping St. Francis last Wednesday to surpass the old record of 25. Pitt also snapped a five-game conference-losing streak in the process, having been swept by DePaul and Notre Dame at home last weekend.

Syracuse 8, Pitt 4

After senior Christa Hunter gave Pitt a brief 3-2 lead with her seventh home run of the season in the top of the fifth, the Orange rallied. Syracuse scored six runs in the home half of the inning to push its winning streak to seven games with the 8-4 win.

Megan Bostick took the loss on the mound, allowing nine hits and seven runs in 4.1 innings of work. The defeat drops the junior’s record to 8-11 on the season.

Pitt opened the scoring in the top of the second inning when Hunter clanged a shot to right field off the top of the fence, driving in junior shortstop Sheena Hellon for a 1-0 lead. Syracuse, however, wasted no time in responding, scoring two runs on a two-out double to right field for the Orange’s first lead at 2-1.

Junior outfielder Joey Scarf knotted the game at two with a shallow hit that brought home fellow junior Morgan Howard, who had been hit by a pitch before stealing second and third base. The Panthers would go back on top one more time – courtesy of Hunter’s long ball, only to succumb to the Orange’s big fifth inning.

The loss was Pitt’s fifth in a row in conference play, offsetting an earlier five-game conference win streak.

Pitt 6, Syracuse 5

The game was once again decided in the fifth inning, this time in Pitt’s favor as Hellon belted her first career grand slam to propel the Panthers to the split with a 6-5 win in the second game of the day.

Hellon’s blast pushed the Panthers’ lead to 6-0 in the top of the fifth, plating Jess Dignon, Scarf and Howard with a towering shot to deep center field.

From there, it was just a matter of holding on for the Panthers.

Junior Laura Belardinelli took a no-hitter into the fourth, combining strong pitching with a few key defensive plays to allow the Panthers to build their lead. When the Orange did finally get to Belardinelli, Pitt had already built its large lead.

Syracuse (27-16, 11-3) scored its first run in the fifth and then tallied four more in the bottom of the seventh, making a sincere run at an eighth win in a row. The Orange put runners at the corners with two outs in the bottom of the last inning before Belardinelli induced a pop-up, one that was caught by none other than Hellon, to end the game.

With the win, Belardinelli improves to 13-6 on the season. The victory also ties Pitt’s school record for conference wins in a season.

Dignon led the way for Pitt offensively, going 3-for-4 from the plate on the second game.

Pitt takes a break from conference action on Tuesday, as the Panthers will travel to play long-time rival Penn State. The first pitch of the doubleheader is set to start at 3 p.m.