University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
17-12, 4-5
Boston College
10-20, 2-4
Pitt Outslugs Boston College, 12-9, to Claim Series Victory
3/22/2026 3:01:00 PM | Softball
PITTSBURGH – Pitt softball used a balanced offensive attack and timely power hitting to outslug Boston College, 12-9, Sunday afternoon at Vartabedian Field, clinching a second consecutive ACC series.
The Panthers (17-12, 4-5 ACC) totaled 13 hits and scored in five different innings, answering every Boston College (10-20, 2-4 ACC) push in a back-and-forth contest.
Pitt wasted little time getting on the board, as Tieley Vaughn singled and later scored on an RBI base hit from KK Esparza in the first inning.
After Boston College responded with three runs in the second and two more in the third, Pitt matched the early surge. Ahmari Braden drove in a run with an infield single before Vaughn and Alena Ball followed with RBI hits to tie the game at 4-4 through two innings.
After BC went ahead 5-4 in the top of the third, Camryn Murphy briefly tied the game with a solo home run to center, but the Eagles again answered, plating three runs in the fourth to reclaim an 8-5 lead.
The turning point came in the bottom of the fourth, when Pitt erupted for four runs. Esparza delivered an RBI single, Calle Henne followed with an RBI double, and Mackenzie Reese added a run-scoring double. Murphy capped the inning with an RBI groundout, giving the Panthers a 9-8 advantage and they would not trail again.
Boston College tied the game with a run in the sixth, but Pitt had the final answer once again. Esparza led off the sixth with a solo home run, her team-leading sixth of the season, before Murphy reached and scored on a two-run blast from Gracie Helton to extend the lead to 12-9.
In the circle, Kyra Pittman (7-3) earned the win in relief, tossing 3.1 innings and allowing just one run while striking out five. Pittman entered in the fourth inning and shut down the Eagles down the stretch, retiring the final three batters via strikeout in the seventh.
Offensively, Vaughn and Esparza led the way with three hits apiece, while Esparza drove in three runs. Murphy scored three times and added a home run and two RBI, and Helton's two-run shot in the sixth provided key insurance.
Pitt finished the day 8-for-13 with runners in scoring position, capitalizing on opportunities throughout the lineup.
Winners of three out the last four, the Panthers will look to carry the momentum forward as they play a midweek game at Ohio Tuesday at 5 p.m. before a weekend set at No. 16 Virginia.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Pittman, Kyra (7-3)
L: Kendziorski, Bailey (1-6)
Batting:
2B: Borders, Tavye 1 ; Ptak, Abby 1
HR: Ptak, Abby 1
RBI: Borders, Tavye 1 ; Ptak, Abby 1 ; Espinoza, Janis 1 ; Martinez, Adriana 1 ; Deguire, Katelyn 1
SH: Deguire, Katelyn 1 ; Horn, Sammy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jackin, Tannis 1 ; Borders, Tavye 1 ; Riddell, Nicole 1 ; Ptak, Abby 2 ; Espinoza, Janis 1 ; Martinez, Adriana 1 ; Deguire, Katelyn 1 ; Horn, Sammy 1
SB: DePerio, Kae 1 ; Espinoza, Janis 1
Batting:
2B: Reese, Mackenzie 1 ; Vaughn, Tieley 1 ; Henne, Calle 1
HR: Esparza, KK 1 ; Murphy, Camryn 1 ; Helton, Gracie 1
RBI: Ball, Alena 1 ; Reese, Mackenzie 1 ; Vaughn, Tieley 1 ; Braden, Ahmari 1 ; Esparza, KK 3 ; Murphy, Camryn 2 ; Henne, Calle 1 ; Helton, Gracie 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Ball, Alena 1 ; Vaughn, Tieley 2 ; Braden, Ahmari 2 ; Esparza, KK 1 ; Murphy, Camryn 3 ; Henne, Calle 1 ; Helton, Gracie 1 ; Toczek, Addison 1
SB: Braden, Ahmari 2 ; Murphy, Camryn 1
CS: Harris, Payton 1
HBP: Braden, Ahmari 1 ; Mangieri, Keara 1
