University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Softball Gets First-Ever Victory
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 3, 1999
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Pittsburgh women's softball team captured its first-ever victory in the history of the program with a 6-4 win over Indiana in the 1999 Bama Bash at University of Alabama. The Panthers put together multi-run first and second innings to take the lead and held off Indiana's late rally in the third, before heading to victory.
Pittsburgh grabbed a 2-0 lead at the top of the first, but Indiana battled back with Brooke Munroe's solo home run in the bottom of the inning. Panther catcher Jackie Haar (Naples, Fla./Lely) gave Pittsburgh the lead for good with a three-run shot in the top of the second. Both teams added one run apiece in the seventh to provide the final margin.
Junior Laura Leviere (Pittsburgh, Pa./Northgate) worked five innings on the mound to record the win for the Panthers, while freshman Gina Bessolo (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood) retired the final two innings for the save.
In addition to the victory, Pittsburgh redshirt freshman Haar received Bama Bash All- Tournament team honors. Throughout the tournament, Haar was 4-for-13 on the tournament with five RBI and two home runs.
Pittsburgh also faced Southern Mississippi on the opening day of the tournament and fell 9-1to the Golden Eagles.
On Feb. 27, the Panthers lost a close 4-2 decision to Drake. The Bulldogs posted a four- run fourth, and Pittsburgh battled back with one run in the bottom of the fifth and sixth, but could not pull ahead.
In the final day of competition, the Panthers suffered 4-1 and 13-1 losses to Evansville and McNeese State, respectively.
Pittsburgh returns to action March 6-7 when they compete in the Georgia State Invitational.
