PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford softball team wrapped up their 2024 regular season on Friday afternoon, sweeping a doubleheader at LaRoche. The Panthers took game one 10-1 and then defeated the Redhawks 9-0 in five innings to finish the sweep in game two.
Game One: Pitt-Bradford 10, La Roche 1The Panthers eased to a 10-1 win in game one, slowly adding to their lead until exploding for five runs in the fifth.
Fresh off a five-inning no hitter against Hilbert on Thursday, Bri Heller returned to the circle for the opener against LaRoche. She got off to another terrific start, retiring the first 11 batters of the game.
After a quiet first the Panthers opened the scoring in the second frame. The first two batters of the inning reached on errors in the infield before the hosts got two quick outs on a fielder’s choice and a pop-up. Ciera Adams came up with a big hit, ripping a single down the left field line to bring in Krislyn Clement.
Heller retired the side in the bottom of the frame and then saw the lead expand, as Pitt-Bradford tacked on a pair of runs in the third. Miranda Groll led off the inning with a single and moved to third on an error in the outfield on the play. Sara Stroup followed and was hit by a pitch before stealing second base to put a pair of runners in scoring position with no outs. The next two batters each went on to drive in a run with a productive out as Lexi Peters hit a sacrifice fly to right and Clement grounded out to short.
The Panthers were kept off the board in the fourth but scored five runs in the fifth to open up an 8-0 lead. Stroup drew a leadoff walk and then Peters singled to left to start the rally. Clement drove in the first run with a single to center and then Heller helped her own cause with a two-run single up the middle. After a pitching change and a pop-up, Adams hit a single to right that was misplayed in the outfield, allowing pinch runner Emily McCafferty to score. Following a sacrifice bunt, McLaughlin hit a single to center to drive in Adams.
The hosts were finally able to push a run across in the bottom of the inning. After a leadoff walk, the LaRoche runner was able to steal second and move to third on a sacrifice bunt with one out. She scored a batter later on a sacrifice fly.
Both teams put runners on base in the sixth but could not bring any runs across. In the seventh, the Panthers took advantage of two errors to score two more runs. Adams started the frame by reaching on an error and then Lexi Najdusak recorded her third hit of the game with an infield single. After another error in the infield allowed Groll to reach and load the bases, Peters came up and lined a single into center field driving in two more runs.
Heller retired the side in order to close the game in the 7th.
Bri Heller (9-4) earned the win after allowing one run on two hits in a complete game victory. She struck out five batters. The Panthers tallied 15 hits in the win, led by Lexi Najdusak (3-for-3) and Faith McLaughlin (3-for-5) who had three each. Lexi Peters was 2-for-4 with three RBI, while Krislyn Clement finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Game Two: Pitt-Bradford 9, La Roche 0, 5 InningsIn game two, the Panthers jumped out to a quick lead, scoring eight runs in the second inning before coasting to a 9-0 win in five innings.
The Panther offense was retired quickly in the top of the first and then starting pitcher Sandra Watne set down the side in order to get the Panthers back to the plate.
Pitt-Bradford exploded in the second, scoring eight times on six hits and three errors. Krislyn Clement led off the inning and tripled to deep centerfield. Meghan Kapp followed her with a single down the left field line to bring in the run. After a fielder’s choice, Ciera Adams hit a sinking line drive that a diving Redhawk outfielder could not corral for another triple, bringing in Kapp. Lizzy Hoovler drove in Adams with an RBI groundout to short.
The Panthers restarted their rally with two outs, as Faith McLaughlin singled to left center and Miranda Groll was hit by a pitch. An error on a fly ball in center allowed both runners to score and Stroup to reach second as the inning continued. Lexi Peters followed with a double to center field. After she moved to third on a wild pitch, Peters was able to score on another error in the outfield. The third error of the inning put runners on the corners before Lilly Hamels brought in the final run of the frame with a single to left.
Watne allowed a single in the second but worked around it to retire the side for a shutdown inning. She was rewarded for the zero in the third, as the Panthers took advantage of two more LaRoche errors to push their lead to nine. McLaughlin and Groll both reached on errors with one out. McLaughlin was thrown out trying to steal third in the next at bat before Sara Stroup singled to left center to drive in Groll.
Watne was able to take over from there, stranding two runners on base in both the third and fourth innings. She allowed two singles in the third but was able to use a pop-up and two flyouts to keep the Redhawks off the scoreboard. The hosts looked to cut into the lead in the fourth inning, as the first two batters reached on a single and a double down the left field line. Watne was able to settle down and retire the next three batters in a row to end the threat.
The Panthers put a pair of runners on base in the fifth inning but could not add to their lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Watne worked around a one-out infield single to finish the game.
Sandra Watne (3-2) pitched a complete game shutout in the win. She scattered six hits and did not walk any batters. She needed only 56 pitches in the win. The Panthers had eight hits in the game, with three of them going for extra bases. Sara Stroup was the only Panther to record a multi-hit game, as she finished 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Krislyn Clement and Ciera Adams both had triples, while Lexi Peters added a double.
The Panthers finish their regular season with a 23-9 record overall and a 14-4 mark in AMCC play. They will take the next week to prepare for the AMCC Tournament, which will begin on Thursday, May 9. The Panthers receive a first round bye as the second seed in the tourney. Their first game will be against the winner of the No. 3 and No. 6 matchup in the third contest of the day.
