Softball bounces back with four straight wins

The Pitt softball team (11-15) rallied from an early loss in the first day of the Capitol… The Pitt softball team (11-15) rallied from an early loss in the first day of the Capitol Classic in Sacramento, California to win their last four games in a homecoming of sorts for junior first baseman Casey Pickard, sophomore pitcher Christa Hunter, and freshman shortstop Sheena Hellon, all native Californians.

“We have been inconsistent,” said Panther head coach Michelle Phalen. “So it was nice to see our team come out on Friday and play real strong, come out on Saturday and play real strong, and then finish the tournament on Sunday playing really strong. It was good because we haven’t done that yet. We played three real good days of softball.”

Purdue 8, Pitt 5 (10 innings)

Senior catcher Heather Andrews belted a school-record two doubles, and freshman outfielder Joey Scarf went three-of-four from the dish, with three runs batted in, yet the Panthers were unable to capture the victory, losing in extra innings by the score of 8-5. Freshman pitcher Laura Belardinelli gave up eight hits and three runs in seven innings of work for Pitt, but it was all for naught as Shelli Messer hammered a three-run homer in the bottom of the tenth inning to give the Boilermakers the win.

“The Purdue game was a great game,” Phalen said. “They came up with the big hit to win the game. We had opportunities to win it and put it away, but we just couldn’t hold them off the bases as soon as we started scoring.”

Pitt 4, Long Island 3

In the second game of the Capitol Classic, Scarf connected on her first career triple for the Panthers, while freshman pitcher Meghan Bostick allowed eight hits and three runs in five innings, while striking out six for Pitt. Belardinelli pitched two innings to pick up the save.

Pitt 4, Saint Mary’s 1

In the third game of the weekend, Hellon connected on a three-run blast to power the Panthers to a 4-1 victory over Saint Mary’s. Phalen was pleased with her team’s overall defensive and offensive efforts during the game.

“We had some outstanding defense,” Phalen said. “We’re just starting to put everything together, and it was nice. The Saint Mary’s game was a good game.”

Pitt 6, Tennessee State 1 (eight innings)

Belardinelli and Bostick combined to allow one run in eight innings of work as the Panthers earned their third consecutive victory of the weekend. Bostick would later be named to the all-tournament team as she compiled a record of 4-1 over the course of the three days.

Pitt 2, Sacramento State 1

Against Sacramento State, sophomore third baseman Jen O’Donnell drove in Andrews following her double to give the Panthers their fourth consecutive win of the weekend. The win gave Sacramento State its first loss of the tournament and moved Pitt into a tie with the Hornets for first place in the tournament.

“We were 3-1 going into that game and they were 4-0,” Phalen said. “They pitched their top kid against us and we didn’t manage a lot of hits, but we took advantage of an error that allowed us to keep some runners on [base].”

The Panthers are next in action on Saturday when they will travel to College Park, Md., to play in a four-game tournament against Maryland, Delaware State, and Columbia. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.