Pitt Softball Splits Final Pair of Games in San Diego

Tuesday, March 8

San Diego, Calif.

5:00 PM

Pitt

16-5

Saint Joseph's

6-8

St. Joseph's

Pitt

Pitt Softball Splits Final Pair of Games in San Diego

3/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

March 8, 2016

Game One Box | Game Two Box | Season Stats

SAN DIEGO – The University of Pittsburgh softball team split a pair of games on its final day in San Diego, Calif., as the Panthers fell to host San Diego in game one but bounced back to defeat St. Joseph’s at USD Softball Complex Tuesday afternoon.

Pitt [16-5] dropped a heartbreaker in the seventh to the Toreros [8-12], 6-5, as USD loaded the bases and brought in two final runs to defeat the Panthers who were leading 5-4 at the start of the inning. Pitt concluded the day with a 4-2 win over St. Joseph’s [6-8].

Redshirt senior Shelby Pickett led the Panthers offensively, hitting 5-for-8 (.625) at the plate with a double and two RBIs. Sophomores Giorgiana Zeremenko and McKayla Taylor each added three hits apiece.

On the mound, sophomore Kayla Harris split on the day, earning the loss in game one and win in game two. All three Pitt pitchers made appearances today. Harris finished the day throwing 8.2 innings, while striking out three.

PITT 5, SAN DIEGO 6
• Pitt fell to San Diego, 6-5, after the Toreros walked off on a bases-loaded, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh. The Panthers led 5-4 heading into the final inning of play.
• Pitt took charge of the game in the top of the second, scoring three runs on two hits and an error. With one out and bases loaded following a single, walk and hit by pitch, a sac fly hit by freshman Olivia Gray brought around freshman Erin Hershman for run number one. Pickett put together a single down the right field line to keep up the momentum, which scored junior Kaitlin Manuel. With runners on first and third, an error by the USD second baseman allowed freshman Alexis Solak to cross the plate, but Pickett, who tried taking an extra base was thrown out at third on the play to end the inning. The Panthers led 3-0 after two complete innings.
• Zeremenko posted her first RBI of the day in the third as Pitt tacked on another run when she hit a single to right field scoring sophomore McKayla Taylor.
• San Diego scored four runs over the next two innings to tie the game at 4-4. Freshman Sarah Dawson relieved senior Jenna Modic on the mound at the start of the bottom half of the fifth. Modic gave up one run in the fourth, while Dawson gave up three in the fifth.
• The Panthers regained a one-run lead in the top of the sixth when Pickett roped a double to right center to score Manuel, who walked to lead off the inning. Pitt led 5-4 heading into the final inning of play.
• With Harris now on the mound for the Panthers, San Diego began the final inning of play with a single and put a second runner on after an error by Pitt. In an effort to create a force out situation, the Panthers intentionally walked the next batter and loaded the bases. Following a strike out, Pitt was an out away from ending the game but the Toreros hit a two-run, walk-off single to end the game.

PITT 4, ST. JOSEPH’S 2
• Pitt came back to defeat St. Joseph’s 4-2, after trailing 2-0 early in the game. Harris earned the win for the Panthers and is now 7-5 on the season.
• The Hawks scored first in the game, posting two runs on three hits in the top of the second inning. Harris gave up back-to-back singles to start, putting runners on first and second. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners in to scoring position. St. Joseph’s pushed the first run across on a single through the right side. The second scored as a runner on third came home on a ground out to redshirt senior Maggie Sevilla at second.
• Pitt started its comeback in the fourth inning, putting a single run up on the board to cut the Hawks lead to just one. Modic led off with a double to left and was joined on the bases by Zeremenko after a single. Thanks to a throwing error by the St. Joseph’s third baseman on a bunt my Manuel, senior Morgan Choe who was pinch running for Modic, crossed the plate. The Panthers now only trailed, 2-1.
• Pitt took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth on three straight hits and a fielder’s choice. Starting with the top of the order, Pickett, Sevilla and Taylor hit consecutive singles, respectively, to move each other around the bases. Pickett was the first to come across on Taylor’s hit, while Sevilla beat a throw home from the Hawks second baseman on a grounder by Modic to post the second.
• The Panthers tacked on its final run in the bottom of the sixth as Zeremenko was issued a bases-loaded walk which brought in Pickett.

UP NEXT
• Pitt is set to open ACC play at Virginia Tech beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 12. The two teams will play the final game of the series on Sunday, March 13.
• The Panthers return to a familiar field in Tech Softball Park, as the Hokies hosted the 2015 ACC Conference Tournament where Pitt advanced to the ACC Championship Game.

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