Pitt sweeps Rutgers, Villanova in weekend doubleheaders

Pitt softball kept rolling this weekend with two Big East doubleheader sweeps at Rutgers and… Pitt softball kept rolling this weekend with two Big East doubleheader sweeps at Rutgers and Villanova.

Pitt matched its win total from last season with its 23rd victory of the year. They improved to 23-12 overall while climbing to 7-1 in Big East play.

Pitt 11, Rutgers 5

The first of two games in Saturday’s doubleheader with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights ended with a bang for the Pitt softball team as they struck down a late Scarlet Knight comeback en route to an 11-5 victory.

Sheena Hellon, Christa Hunter and Heather Connor shook up Rutgers’ pitcher Nicole Freeman, hitting back-to-back-to-back home runs over the leftfield fence in the fifth inning.

The bombs gave Pitt a three-run lead that the Panthers would not rescind as Hunter retired 11 of the final 14 Scarlet Knight hitters in relief to preserve the victory and earn her fifth win of the season.

Pitt 5, Rutgers 1

Pitt finished up the sweep at Rutgers University Softball Complex in game two, defeating the Scarlet Knights, 5-1, to take both games of Saturday’s doubleheader.

The win extended the Panthers’ winning streak to seven as they took advantage of several Scarlet Knights fielding blunders.

Pitt held Rutgers to just one run on four hits behind a devastating pitching performance by junior Laura Belardinelli. Belardinelli struck out four Scarlet Knights on her way to her ninth win of the season.

Pitt batters slapped just seven hits but stole four bases and pressured Rutgers’ fielders into critical mistakes. The win helped Pitt earn the best start in conference play in school history as the Panthers climbed to 5-1 in the Big East.

Heading into its Sunday doubleheader with the Villanova Wildcats, Pitt carried a 21-12 record. With its second loss of the day, Rutgers fell to 6-23 and 1-5 in the Big East.

Pitt 6, Villanova 2

It took a little while, but the Pitt bats pounced on weak Wildcat pitching in their 6-2 win over Villanova in Sunday’s opener.

After a deadlocked game reached the sixth inning at 2-2, Pitt used patience at the plate to walk in a run and score on a wild pitch. With the bases loaded, senior Panther Francesca DiMaria smacked a two-RBI double to extend Pitt’s lead to 6-2.

Pitt starter Meghan Bostick pitched her way out of several jams en route to her seventh victory of the season, improving to 7-7. She struck out six hitters in a complete game performance.

Pitt 5, Villanova 1

Pitt’s dynamic duo of Lisa McGregor and Belardinelli punished Villanova in the second game of Sunday’s Big East doubleheader. They collected their ninth straight victory with the 5-1 win over the Wildcats (6-23, 0-8).

McGregor torched Villanova pitching for five RBI while hitting a perfect 4-for-4. With her first baseman providing the offensive punch, Belardinelli (10-4) blistered through seven innings, striking out a season-high eight batters while only giving up one run on four hits.

After a dominating weekend, Pitt continues their season on Tuesday at Trees Field when they host the Kent State Golden Flashes. The doubleheader begins at 2 p.m.