University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Softball Plays Tough on Big East Road Trip
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 12, 1999
VILLANOVA, Pa. -- The Pittsburgh Panthers women's softball team continued Big East Conference play this past weekend and suffered close losses to Villanova and Rutgers.
The Panthers and host Wildcats faced off in a competitive double-header April 10 at the Villanova Softball Field.
The Wildcats prevailed in game one, 1-0, on the strength of solid pitching from the Wildcats' Keri Stoller who allowed just three hits and struck out seven. The game remained scoreless through six innings. Villanova broke the game open and scored the winning run in the bottom seventh. With the bases loaded, the Wildcats' Kristen Verhoff hit an RBI single down the left field line to finish the game.
Despite a three-run rally late in the game, the Panthers suffered a 4-3 loss to the Wildcats in the nightcap. Villanova jumped to a 2-0 lead after three innings. Pittsburgh mounted a comeback in the top of the top of the sixth with three two-out runs to put them ahead 3-2. Villanova, however, drove home two runs in the bottom half of the inning to put the Wildcats ahead for good.
The Panthers closed out the weekend with two hard-fought contests with the host Scarlet Knights.
The first game was a 4-2 Rutgers win. After three innings, the Panthers and Scarlet Knights were tied at two runs apiece. Freshman Katie Mitchell (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette) drove in one run in both the first and third to complete the scoring for the Panthers. Rutgers posted two runs in the bottom of the fifth on two Pittsburgh errors to provide the final margin.
Mitchell was stellar at the plate for the Panthers. She finished the game going 3-for-3 with two RBI's.
In the nightcap, Pittsburgh and Rutgers battled to a 12-12 tie through seven to send the game into extra innings. Rutgers prevailed with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
Pittsburgh took a 6-4 lead after two innings on the strength of a four-run second.
Shortstop Tiffany Barrett (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) hit a sacrifice fly to left field with the bases loaded to send in the Panthers' first run of the second inning. Junior Dawna Kasper (Munhall, Pa./Steel Valley) added another when she crossed the plate on a walked batter and catcher Jackie Haar (Naples, Fla./Lely) followed with a two-run single down the left field line.
The Panthers held their lead after adding three runs in the fourth. Freshman second baseman Jamie Wernett (Hellertown, Pa./Saucon Valley) hit an RBI single to center field with two batters on to score Mitchell. Wernett and Haar crossed the plate just moments later on two Rutgers fielding errors for a 9-5 lead after three and a half innings.
Pittsburgh added three runs in the ensuing innings, but Rutgers put together back-to- back three run innings to tie the game at 12 apiece. Rutgers took the win in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out RBI single to center field.
Barrett was solid at the plate for Pittsburgh in the loss, going 2-for-3 while batting in three runs.
In earlier action this week, the Panthers opened their home schedule April 5 with 2-1 and 5-3 losses in a double-header with Wright State at Frick Field. In other action, they traveled to Ohio University April 6 and lost 4-2 and 9-1 decisions to the Bobcats.
Pittsburgh returns to its home field this week to face St. Francis Wednesday, April 14 at 3 p.m. and Boston College Sunday, April 18 at noon.
