Crucial four-game home stand awaits Pitt softball team

Playing two games in one day has become second nature for the Pitt softball team. In the month… Playing two games in one day has become second nature for the Pitt softball team. In the month of April alone, the Panthers have played six doubleheaders, four in Big East Conference action. Pitt will continue its spring trend this weekend by facing Seton Hall on Saturday and St. John’s on Sunday for two more double-game matchups at Trees Field.

Pitt comes into this weekend with a record of 18-22 overall and an even 4-4 mark in Big East play. With the four games this weekend, the Panthers have a chance to move past their .500 mark in the conference.

With the trend of doubleheaders has also come a winning habit that has kept Pitt hovering around an even conference record. In their last three doubleheaders, the Panthers have split each one.

Out of the 40 games the team has played this season, only seven have been at home. Pitt is 2-5 at its home, Trees Field, but improving that mark won’t be easy.

Seton Hall visits on Saturday with a 25-12 overall record and a 10-2 conference record. The Pirates are coming off a nonconference doubleheader split to Princeton on Wednesday.

Senior Megan Meyer and sophomore Jessica Jones combined for a shutout victory on the mound for Seton Hall, holding the Tigers to a total of six hits between the two of them in the first game. With two days to rest and only two other young pitchers on the roster for Seton Hall, it is very possible the Panthers could face one or both of these pitchers sometime Saturday afternoon.

Meyer has seen the most action for the Pirates this season with an 18-4 record. Over her 22 games, she has recorded 169 strikeouts and has only given up 20 runs to opposing teams. Meyer also has an extremely low ERA of 0.66 going into the weekend.

Sunday, the Panthers will face St. John’s, who will be traveling from a doubleheader in South Bend, Ind., against conference foe Notre Dame. Friday, the Red Storm will take on the Irish before traveling to Pittsburgh on Sunday.

With a record of 17-26-1 overall, and 4-6 in the Big East, St. John’s will also bring an experienced lineup to face Pitt, with half of the roster being juniors and seniors. The Panthers, on the other hand, are a rather young team with only five out of 19 players being upperclassmen, Casey Pickard being the lone senior on the team.

Junior Red Storm outfielder Jo Sherlock has been an anchor for the team both offensively and defensively. In the process of being swept by Long Island University, Sherlock did her share to keep St. John’s in the running for both games. She had two hits, one being a double, and three RBIs in the first game to move her batting average to .308 on the season. Sherlock showed her defensive skills by robbing a Long Island player of a home run in game two, reaching over the fence to catch the ball on its way out of the park.

With the regular season coming to a quick end, The Panthers’ remaining eight conference games will be very important to make postseason action possible. Pitt has already bettered last year’s conference win total of three games with its fourth Big East victory against Providence last weekend.

The first game Saturday is slated to start at 10 a.m. with the follow-up twenty minutes after its conclusion. On Sunday, the first pitch will be thrown at 11 a.m.