Softball Drops 6-3 and 4-2 Decisions to Villanova
4/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Softball Drops 6-3 and 4-2 Decisions to Villanova
4/27/2003
PITTSBURGH ? The Pittsburgh softball team was eliminated from contention for a berth in the Big East Championships, dropping a doubleheader to host Villanova on Sunday afternoon.
The Wildcats (28-11-1, 11-5 Big East) won the first game, 6-3, and then held off the Panthers (19-28, 5-11) by a score of 4-2 in the second game.
Villanova got one run in the first inning of game one and then put up five more in the fourth inning for a 6-0 lead on Pittsburgh starter Nikki Gasti (Carmichaels, Pa./Carmichaels). The Panthers cut the lead in half with a three-run sixth inning.
Shortstop Ana Velazquez (Santa Ana, Calif./Santa Ana C.C.) led off the inning with an infield hit and moved to second on another infield single by junior Beth Gill (Pittsburgh, Pa./ Upper St. Clair). Freshman Francesca DiMaria (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) followed with a three-run home run to left field, her fifth of the season.
That was all the offense Pittsburgh could muster, however, with Gill collecting two of the Panthers' frou hits in the game. Villanova was held to six hits by Gasti and senior Janelle Pepe (Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville), who pitched two scoreless innings of relief.
In game two, the Panthers stormed out to a 2-0 lead with another home run by DiMaria, tying her for the team lead with sophomore Casey Pickard (Newhall, Calif./William S. Hart). DiMaria's sixth home run was a two-run shot, scoring Velazquez, who led off the game with a single. The Panthers would get only one more hit, however, off of Wildcats pitcher Shannon Williams. Villanova got two runs to tie the game in the first inning and got two more in the third for the 4-2 victory.
DiMaria also stole two bases in the second game, her 14th and 15th of the season, passing Velazquez for the team lead. On the day, DiMaria was 3-for-6 with two home runs, five RBIs, and two stolen bases. She is now hitting .395 for the season with six home runs and 31 RBIs.
Pittsburgh will play at Rutgers on Monday in a makeup doubleheader from Saturday and will be at Canisius for two games on Tuesday.