Panthers Head to Mercer for Black and Orange Challenge

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh softball team heads to Mercer University Friday to take on Toledo and Mercer in the Black and Orange Challenge.

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LEADING OFF

The University of Pittsburgh softball team travels to Macon, Ga., for four games in two days beginning Friday, Feb. 26.
All games will be played on the campus of Mercer University.
Live stats will be available and can be found on the Pitt softball schedule page at pittsburghpanthers.com.

THE SCHEDULE

Pitt will go head to head against Toledo and Mercer twice each.
Beginning Friday, the Panthers face Toledo at 1:30 PM followed by Mercer at 6 PM. Pitt is the designated home team against the Rockets.
Pitt's time in Macon concludes Saturday with a 10 AM contest against Toledo and a 12:30 PM game against Mercer. The Panthers are the designated away team against Toledo and for both games against the Bears.

EC DOES IT

Sophomore EC Taylor had a breakout weekend at ACC Pod Play, going 7-for-15 with two doubles, one run, one RBI and six stolen bases.
Her four stolen bases Sunday against the Cavaliers were the most in a single-game in school history, surpassing the previous mark of three most recently held by Reba Tutt (2011).
Taylor's eight stolen bases are tied for fourth in the nation, while her 1.14 stolen bases per game mark ranks 10th in the country.
She is batting .364 with eight hits, three runs, two doubles and has eight stolen bases on the year.

SEAMANS' POWERFUL WEEKEND

Junior Sarah Seamans totaled a .692% slugging percentage in Raleigh/Durham, hitting two doubles, one home run and tallying seven RBI.
She totaled four hits and a .308 batting average while also registering a team-best 23 putouts at ACC Pod Play.

THE SERIES – TOLEDO

The Panthers and Rockets meet for just the second and third time in school history this weekend.
Pitt defeated Toledo, 10-4, in its only meeting March 15, 2003.

SCOUTING THE ROCKETS

The Black and Orange Challenge will be the first slate of games for the Rockets this season. Toledo opens up against Alabama A&M before facing the Panthers Friday, Feb. 26.
Toledo went 11-12 overall last season and 29-28 overall and 10-9 in MAC play in 2019.
Senior Dayna Denner returns after leading Toledo in batting average a year ago. She batted .408 with 29 hits, 10 runs, two doubles, five home runs and 19 RBI. She also registered a .690 slugging percentage and a .462 on-base percentage, both team-highs.
Senior Erin Hunt will look to be the ace in the circle for the Rockets, as she went 9-4 with a 2.06 ERA in 2020. She tallied 96 strikeouts, which ranked 28th in the nation and third in the MAC before the season was shut down due to COVID-19.

THE SERIES – MERCER

Pitt will square off against the Bears for the third and fourth time, respectively, this weekend in Macon, Ga.
The Panthers are 2-0 against Mercer all-time, with the last meeting a 19-1 victory in Macon February 13, 2016.

SCOUTING THE BEARS

Mercer enters the weekend 2-4 overall with both wins against Wesleyan.
Redshirt senior Danielle Castleberry leads the Bear offense with a .375 batting average. Her .474 on-base percentage is also a team-high. She's recorded six hits, two doubles and two runs.
Freshman Madi Joice has 11 strikeouts in four appearances for the Bears with one save. She has yet to factor into a decision on the year.

UP NEXT

Pitt heads to Boca Raton, Fla., to partake in the FAU Parents Weekend Tournament hosted by FAU.
The Panthers play two games Thursday and one game Friday and Saturday.
Opponents for the weekend include nationally ranked Kentucky, FAU, FIU and Illinois State. Action begins Thursday, March 4 against Kentucky at 1 PM.

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