Sunday, the Pitt softball team finished its first tournament of the 2005 season in fourth… Sunday, the Pitt softball team finished its first tournament of the 2005 season in fourth place out of six teams at the Florida Atlantic University Doubletree Classic, finishing with a 1-4 record on the weekend. All four of the Panthers’ losses were by three runs or less.

Michigan 3, Pitt 0

Despite holding No. 8 Michigan to only five hits, Pitt was only able to connect on two hits of its own in a season-opening 3-0 loss to the Wolverines (5-1).

Freshman Mary Hecker and junior Christa Hunter earned Pitt’s two singles for the game. Hecker’s hit in the fifth inning broke Michigan pitcher Jennie Ritter’s no-hitter. Ritter finished the game by striking out 11 Panthers.

Sophomore pitcher Laura Belardinelli allowed two early earned runs and four walks. Defensively, senior Casey Pickard led the team with 11 putouts, while freshman Jessica Dignon also contributed, making a diving catch in right field late in the game to keep the Wolverines at bay.

Pitt 9, NC State 2

Down by two early in the game, the Panthers used an offensive surge in the third inning and strong pitching to defeat the Wolfpack (10-6).

Junior pitcher Christa Hunter started for the first time since her freshman year and earned her first collegiate victory, allowing just three hits and one earned run in five innings with a career-best four strikeouts.

In the game-changing third inning, sophomore Joey Scarf walked to lead off and ninth hitter Morgan Howard followed with a single to put runners on second and first. Scarf and Howard then successfully completed a double steal, moving to third and second.

Sheena Hellon gave Pitt its first run of the game with a single. Pickard followed with a single of her own to score on both Howard and Hellon, giving the Panthers a 3-2 lead. Those two RBIs gave Pickard 67 for her career, moving her into second place in Pitt’s annals. Francesca DiMaria added an RBI single in the fourth to give Pitt a four-run lead and Dignon sent a single into left field for her first collegiate hit, scoring Hellon.

Hellon finished 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBIs. Valerie Mihalik picked up the Panthers’ first extra-base hit of the year with a triple down the right-field line.

Ohio State 8, Pitt 7

The Panthers scored five runs in the top of the fifth to take a two-run lead over the Buckeyes (3-1) only to see it, and the game, slip away.

Pitt’s first lead of the game came in the fifth with five runs off of six hits. With one out, Hellon singled, and Pickard followed with one of her own. DiMaria reached base on an error to load the bases. Relief pitcher Christa Hunter came to the plate and blasted a two-run double to cut the Buckeye’s lead to one. With two outs, Dignon added a two-run single to move the score to 6-5, giving the Panthers their first lead of the game. Hecker also added a one-run single to give Pitt its seventh run. The Buckeyes then used a two-run seventh inning to beat the Panthers by one.

Florida Atlantic 6, Pitt 4 (nine innings)

For the second time Saturday, the Panthers were able to erase a deficit with a big inning, but fell short in an extra-innings loss to host Florida Atlantic (4-11).

Once again, Pitt used the fifth inning to create their momentum. Pickard led off the inning with her second double of the game and 33rd of her career, making her first in Pitt’s record books for doubles. Hecker then followed with a base hit and moved to second as the Owls tried to bad Pickard at home, who scored Pitt’s first run. With one out, Mihalik hit one to opposite field, scoring Hecker and cutting the Owls lead to two.

With two outs, Hellon reached base and Scarf scored the Panthers’ third run on a throwing error. Pinch-hitter Lisa McGregor then drove a double into right-center to score Hellon and tie the game where it stayed until the top of the ninth.

Pickard went 3-of-4 at the plate, tying her own school record with three doubles in one game.

Ohio State 6, Pitt 3

The Panthers used strong play from both sides of the plate but couldn’t earn a split with the Buckeyes for the weekend.

Scarf, Pickard, Mihalik and Jessica Thomas all made diving defensive plays for Pitt, while DiMaria, Pickard, Hellon, Dignon, Thomas and Kelly Stiles — in her first collegiate at-bat — all contributed at the plate for the Panthers.

Hunter, pitching for the Panthers, dropped to 1-2 with the loss, pitching two innings.

Pitt will be back in action this weekend at the Cougar Classic in South Carolina.