FORT MYERS, Fla. – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford softball team split its two games Thursday, first falling to New Jersey City before coming out on top over Waynesburg.
"I'm proud of the way we responded today," Head Coach Tina Phillips said. "We just didn't get going offensively in the first game. Liz pitched well, as she didn't give up too many hard hits and we had one bad inning. We then beat a good Waynesburg team. The top of the order did their jobs with Grace getting on, Betty moving her over and Madison and Nicole producing RBIs. The three double plays were huge, especially Madison's in the top of the seventh as they were starting to rally. Jordan pitched another great game for us. I'm proud of the team effort."
Grace Dadzaa went 3-for-4 and scored two of the team's four runs against Waynesburg.
Nicole Nolte went 2-for-2 and drove in two runs. Madison East knocked an RBI double.
In the circle, Jordan Uhing picked up her second win of the season and her first career complete-game shutout as she held Waynesburg scoreless while tossing all seven innings.
Game 1: New Jersey City 6, Pitt-Bradford 0
The two teams went quiet in the first, but New Jersey City went on to score a run in each the second and third innings.
Nolte gave the Panthers their lone hit of the game as she lined a double to right-center field. However, she was left stranded.
NJCU later doubled its lead in the fourth with back-to-back RBI hits, taking a 4-0 lead.
In the top of the fifth, with a runner on second, Lindsey Hull saved a run as she dove to her right and snagged a grounder down the third-base line, then throwing out the runner at first for the second out of the frame. Liz Dzurisin then struck out the next batter to end the inning and strand the runner.
New Jersey City would go on to add two more, though, in the top of the seventh and eventually hold on for the 6-0 win.
Dzurisin tossed all seven innings in the circle for her first pitching appearance of the season. She struck out two during the contest.
Game 2: Pitt-Bradford 4, Waynesburg 0
Both teams earned baserunners in the first two innings but the two teams went into the third inning scoreless.
Pitt-Bradford scored its first run of the game in the bottom of the third.
Dadzaa led off the inning with a single to center field and eventually advanced to third on a sac bunt followed by a groundout.
Nolte then stepped in and delivered a two-out single to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
Waynesburg rallied in the fourth but with the help of a line-out double play, the Panthers were able to escape unharmed and wasted the pair of hits and the runner that reached on an error.
The Panthers capitalized, scoring a pair in the fifth to go ahead 3-0.
Dadzaa once again led off with a single, and East later sent her home with a double to deep left field that just got over the glove of the leaping Waynesburg left fielder.
Nolte stayed in form as she followed up with a single to right that brought home East.
The Panthers added one more in the bottom of the sixth as Emily McIntosh led off the inning with a single.
Jessica Milliron came on to pinch run, and she later came into score on a two-out single from Dadzaa.
Waynesburg got two runners on base to lead off the seventh.
But Pitt-Bradford was able to double-up the runner at second with a flyout to left that caught the runner before she was able to get back to the base.
Uhing then induced a groundout right back to herself to end the game and secure the shut-out win.
In addition to Dadzaa, Nolte and East's performances, Samantha Hribal dropped in a pair of hits herself. Betty Fratercangelo and McIntosh had a hit apiece to round out the Panthers' 10-hit effort.
Up next, Pitt-Bradford will take on Edgewood and Crown (Minn.) Saturday.
