Junior second baseman Francesca DiMaria changed Panther record books on Thursday afternoon as… Junior second baseman Francesca DiMaria changed Panther record books on Thursday afternoon as Pitt split its double-header with Youngstown State.

DiMaria became the Panthers’ all-time leader in career triples late in the first game against the Penguins, when she ripped the ball past Youngstown’s outfield to score two runs and help Pitt capture the victory. This was her first triple of the 2005 season and ninth of her career.

The Panthers went on to lose the second game of the day, however, allowing the Penguins to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, dropping Pitt’s record to 12-15 on the season.

Pitt 5, Youngstown State 1

After five innings of scoreless play, DiMaria used her record-breaking triple to end the run drought and give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.

Pitt got a lucky break in the sixth when junior Jessica Thomas reached base on a two-out error by Youngstown State shortstop Tiffany Patterson. Center fielder Morgan Howard came to the plate next for Pitt and drew a walk, which was followed by DiMaria’s two-run triple.

Shortstop Sheena Hellon scored DiMaria on an RBI single to make the score 3-0. After the Penguins responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth to cut Pitt’s lead to two, the Panthers added two insurance runs in their final at bat.

With one out, sophomore catcher Heather Connor hit her second home run of the season, and third of her career, to make the score 4-1 in favor of Pitt. Valerie Mihalik and Joey Scarf followed with back-to-back doubles to add to the Panthers’ lead and account for the game’s final run.

DiMaria went 4-for-4 on the day, tying a school record for most hits in a game. She was just a home run away from hitting for the cycle with two singles, a double and her sixth-inning triple.

Mihalik stole the first base of her career and added two hits to help the Panthers to victory. Junior pitcher Christa Hunter went the distance in the circle, allowing just four hits and one run. Hunter gave up no walks and struck out four Penguin batters for her seventh victory of the season.

Youngstown state 6, Pitt 5

Morgan Howard led Pitt with a career-high three hits, as the Panthers lost a heartbreaker to the Penguins Thursday in the second game of their double-header.

In a close, back-and-fourth contest, Pitt went into the bottom of the seventh with a two-run lead, needing just three outs to capture their seventh win in eight games, but the Penguins scored three runs in the final half inning of play to take the win.

Pitt had come back from a one-run deficit three times to tie the score, the last time in the fourth inning when Scarf knocked her second double of the day, first of the second game, past the Youngstown infield to reach base and tie the score at three. She then scored the tying run on a Youngstown error.

The Panthers then brought in two runs in the fifth to take their first lead of the game. Mihalik drove a single past Penguin defenders and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Scarf followed with an RBI single that scored Mihalik and eventually herself by way of a pinch-hit double from Hunter.

Starting pitcher Laura Belardinelli pitched into the fourth inning, giving up three runs, but helped her team out offensively with an RBI single in her first at-bat of the season. Relief pitcher Meghan Bostick took the loss for the Panthers, allowing four hits and three runs in 3.2 innings of work.

Bostick pitched strongly until the final inning when Youngstown State scored three to earn the victory. Pitching for just 11 outs of play, Bostick struck out six batters on the day.

Head coach Michelle Phalen could not be reached for comment for this story.