April 11, 2008

Box Score

TAMPA, Fla.--Pitt's softball team turned its 11th double play of the season in a one-run shutout loss to South Florida in the first game of its doubleheader at USF Softball Stadium, this evening. The Panthers fell to 21-15 on the season and 6-3 in the Big East, while the Bulls improved to 33-13 overall and 8-1 in the conference.

With the game scoreless in the bottom of the fourth inning and the bases juiced, Pitt recorded its 11th double-play of the season to hold USF. The play happened as freshman Alicia Broudy (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) caught a line drive and tagged first after the runner left.

On the play before that, sophomore Megan Livesey (Livingston, N.J./The Montclair Kimberly Academy) fielded a ground ball and threw it to junior Samantha Card (Miami, Fla./Our Lady of Lourdes/Florida International) at home for the force out, also preventing a run.

The Panthers entered the game ranked in the top 50 nationally in double plays.

In the game, Pitt stranded eight runners in the game, including two in the final inning. First, Livesey took four pitches as the lead off and moved to second on a wild pitch. Freshman Mollie Illenberger (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) then pinched hit a one-out single for the Panthers. Senior Rebecca Stottlemyer (Charleroi, Pa./Home schooled) re-entered the game for Illenberger and earned a base when she and Livesey moved on a passed ball several pitches later. However, the next two batters would strikeout, ending Pitt's chance.

Illenberger is batting .556 in her nine at-bats this season, including three RBI.

On the mound, freshman Cory Berliner (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) fell to 12-7 in the loss, giving up one run off four hits.

The lone run of the game was scored in the fifth off two hits and a Pitt error.

Livesey recorded four assists in the game, while senior Jessica Dignon (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) turned in three.