Softball Drops Doubleheader

Saturday, April 8

Pittsburgh, PA

11:00 AM

Pitt

Depaul

4/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball

April 8, 2006

Box Score

PITTSBURGH--Sophomore Jessica Dignon improved to her 22^nd consecutive game with a hit, shattering the previous record, despite the Panthers dropping a doubleheader against No. 25 DePaul, this afternoon. Pitt was blanked 10-0 in the first game and fell 7-1 in game two. The Panthers slip to 24-15 on the season and 7-3 in the Big East.

Dignon (Pittsburgh, Pa./Balwin) kept her hitting streak alive with a double in game one and two hits in game two. Dignon eclipsed the previous record of 11 games, set by Ana Velazquez in 2003.

In the second contest, the Blue Demon's Sara Polensky tallied a lead-off homer over the right field fence in the third. DePaul scored two more runs in the inning and took a 4-0 lead after three inning of action.

The Panthers had a good opportunity to score in the third with bases loaded and no out on the board, but DePaul held Pitt by going for the automatic out at home, catching a pop up and getting batter to strikeout. DePaul, then, tallied a three-run home run in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead.

Junior Heather Connor (Reading, Pa./Muhlenburg) answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth, after junior Morgan Howard's (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) bunt wasn't fielded at first base.

With runners at second and third, senior Francesca DiMaria (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) prevented any more runs in the fifth inning by jumping to catch a line drive, then throwing out the runner at second, who didn't tag on the play.

Junior Meghan Bostick (Colleyville, Texas/Grapevine) pitched all seven innings for the Panthers and struck out nine batters in the process.

In the day's first game DePaul, who scored in four of the five innings, put three runs on the board in the first inning due to a wild pitch, a double and a passed ball. After a home run in the fourth, the Blue Demons put the game away with five runs off five hits in the fifth inning.

Junior Laura Belardinelli (Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott) pitched the first four innings, allowing five runs and four hits. Senior Christa Hunter (Sacramento, Calif./Hiram Johnson West) entered the game at the top of the fifth and retired one batter before allowing the next five runs.

Pitt hosts a doubleheader against Notre Dame on Sunday, April 9 at noon.

Game One

Score by Innings R H E

DePaul 301 15 - 10 9 0

Pittsburgh 000 00 - 0 2 1

Game Two

Score by Innings R H E

DePaul 013 300 0 - 7 10 1

Pittsburgh 000 100 0 - 1 8 0