The Pitt softball team will look to extend its five-game win streak against two Big East… The Pitt softball team will look to extend its five-game win streak against two Big East foes this weekend.

The Panthers (19-12 overall, 3-1 Big East) have been carried through their impressive early season start by the consistent bats of Jess Dignon (team-high .341 average), Francesca DiMaria (.340) and Morgan Howard (.301). Lisa McGregor has also provided plenty of clutch hitting, recording a team-best 24 runs batted in.

Meanwhile, the Pitt pitching staff has made it difficult for their opposition to post runs of their own. Junior Meghan Bostick has posted an astounding 1.96 ERA in her 85.2 innings of work.

Fellow starter Laura Belardinelli has recorded an equally impressive 2.81 ERA in her 15 appearances, while reliever Christa Hunter has held opponents to a .186 batting average.

On Saturday, the Panthers will travel to New Jersey to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

“We’ll just be looking to sharpen our game,” Hunter said after the team’s sweep of Buffalo on Wednesday afternoon. “We have to better every aspect of our game and not just sharpen one. We have to play every aspect to our fullest potential.”

The Scarlet Knights (6-19, 1-3 Big East) will be looking to get back on track against Pitt after coming off a disappointing sweep by in-state rival Princeton on Wednesday afternoon.

Offensively, Rutgers is led by freshman second baseman Brittany Loisel, who is currently batting .319 on the season. First baseman Kristin Madoch leads the team with 15 RBIs.

On the mound, Christin Gillman has started a team-high 10 games for the Scarlet Knights, while posting a 4.04 ERA.

The Panthers will then travel to Villanova on Sunday to take on the Wildcats. Revenge may be on their minds after Villanova defeated Pitt in a must-win game last season to eliminate the Panthers from postseason play.

The Wildcats (4-19, 0-4 Big East) are currently on a seven-game skid, most recently dropping both decisions of a doubleheader to Big East leader Connecticut.

Like Rutgers, the Villanova offense is also paced by a freshman. Sensational utility player Meghan Morese currently leads the team in batting average (.321), doubles (7), home runs (5) and RBIs (15).

The Wildcat pitching staff is led by sophomore Kat Walsh, who has started 15 of the team’s 23 games. While she does have 77 strikeouts on the season, her ERA is a modest 4.04, opening the doors for what has been a hot Panther offense.

“I expect that we’ll go out and continue to swing the bat and get our offense going early,” head coach Michelle Phalen said. “I think that they feel a lot more confident at the plate. Our defense is solid, our pitching is solid and we’re putting the ball into play a lot more now than we were earlier this season.”

Both Saturday’s and Sunday’s contests will start at noon and 2 p.m.