Softball Drops Two to Penn State
4/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Softball Drops Two to Penn State
4/13/2005
PITTSBURGH?The Pittsburgh softball team dropped a pair of games to visiting Penn State at Trees Field on Wednesday, falling by scores of 7-2 and 10-1 to the Nittany Lions.
Pitt (15-19) has now lost four games in a row and managed just six hits in the twinbill against Penn State. The Nittany Lions improved to 25-14 with the two victories, connecting on 24 hits and scoring 17 times in 12 innings.
Penn State scored the first seven runs of game one, six off starter Laura Belardinelli (Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott) in three innings of work and added an unearned run off of Meghan Bostick (Colleyville, Texas/Grapevine) in the fourth. The Panthers got one back in the bottom of the fourth inning on a leadoff home run by first baseman Casey Pickard (Newhall, Calif./William S. Hart). It was Pickard's second homer of the season and 13th of her career.
The Panthers picked up another run in the seventh inning to account for the 7-2 final. Catcher Heather Connor (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg) led off with a double and was pinch-run for by freshman Rebecca Stottlemyer (Charleroi, Pa./Home School). Stottlemyer moved to third on a single by Sheena Hellon (Sacramento, Calif./Cordova) and scored on a base hit by Joey Scarf (Humble, Texas/Humble). Belardinelli dropped to 6-7 with the loss while Bostick got out of several late-inning jams, allowing eight hits in four innings of relief but only the unearned run and struck out two Nittany Lion batters.
In the second game, Penn State scored four times in the first off of Christa Hunter (Sacramento, Calif./Hiram Johnson West) for an early lead and the Panthers got their only run in the bottom half of the first frame. Leadoff hitter Francesca DiMaria (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) drew a walk and Morgan Howard (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) took her spot at first base with a fielder's choice. After a stolen base by Howard, Hunter had a two-out single to center field to cut the Nittany Lion lead to three runs.
Penn State scored once in the second, however, and added five runs in the third for the 10-1 victory. Hunter lasted just 2.1 innings and allowed 10 hits, seven earned runs and walked two to go along with two strikeouts. Hunter's first inning hit was the only one the Panthers got off of Jenn Reynolds but Bostick looked good again in relief for Pitt, retiring all eight batters she faced with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings.
The Panthers will be at Connecticut on Saturday, April 16, and at Providence the following day in Big East doubleheaders.