Senior Close Out Trees Field With Homers

Tuesday, May 2

Pittsburgh, PA

3:00 PM

Pitt

Robert Morris

Senior Close Out Trees Field With Homers

5/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball

May 2, 2006

Box Score

PITTSBURGH--The weather went from a beautiful spring day in game one to a breezy, rainy afternoon just minutes before the first pitch of game two. Not minding the weather change seniors Francesca DiMaria and Christa Hunter recorded home runs in their final games at Trees Field, as the University of Pittsburgh softball team earned the sweep over Robert Morris with a 12-2 (6) victory in game two and improve to 31-26 on the season.

With the rain pouring and two runners on base, Hunter (Sacramento, Calif./Harim Johnson West) slapped a long hard shot wide of the right foul line. On the next pitch, she swung the bat hard enough to straighten the ball out and earned three RBI, as sophomore Jessica Dignon (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) and Joey Scarf (Humble, Texas/Humble) scored on the play.

DiMaria (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) brought in the first run of the inning with a double of the center field wall. Scarf also doubled to bring in a run, while junior Sheena Hellon's (Sacramento, Calif./Cordova) single plated a runner.

After trailing 1-0, the Panthers took the lead in the fourth inning with six runs off six hits and two Colonial errors.

The inning was highlighted when DiMaria garnered her second homer of the season with a bomb through center field that scored classmate Jessica Thomas (Southlake, Texas/Carroll) and junior Morgan Howard (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny).

Prior to DiMaria's long ball Dignon scored when RMU's first baseman dropped a pass and Hunter scored due to a single Thomas smacked to right field and Hecker scored off a sacrifice fly to right from junior Heather Connor (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg).

Robert Morris scored a run in the third inning when Kline went home from third, after a teammate stole second. The Colonials later scored in the sixth due to a single down the left field line.

RMU had an opportunity to add to its lead in the fourth inning after they earned two, two-out singles and a walk to load the bases. However, Hellon quickly fielded the next ground ball and recorded an assist with a pass to third to end the inning.

Junior Laura Belardinelli (Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott) allowed six hits, while fanning three batters in six innings of work. Belardinelli improved to 15-10 and tied Nikki Gasti for the single season wins record, last set in 2003.

Pitt set for its seeding in the Big East Championships, which begins Thursday, May 11, in South Bend, Ind.

Notes:

Sheena Hellon ranks second in the record books for stolen bases with 23, while Morgan Howard is tied for third at 19 on the season.

Jessica Dignon stepped to the plate 179 times on the year and claims first in that historical category.

Dignon also earned 61 hits this season, which tops the record books, while Francesca DiMaria is second with 59.

DiMaria also broke her own runs' record in a season with 42 plated this season.

Heather Connor owns the single-season record for walks with 27 this year.