PITTSBURGH -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford softball team used two strong performances to pick up a sweep at La Roche Saturday.
"The bats came alive today. That was great to see," Head Coach Tina Phillips said. "This was a key sweep for us. Now we have to keep it rolling into next week. We got good defense and pitching battled and threw well with a lead today. The lineup was tough up and down. Congratulations to Grace on getting her 100th career hit. Also, nice to send Nicole out on a high note as she graduates tomorrow."
With the victories in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference contests, the Panthers improve to 5-7 in conference play.
The Panther offense awoke for the doubleheader, knocking 30 total hits and scoring 19 combined runs.
Jordan Uhing went the distance in game one to earn her fifth win of the season.
Maddy Hillery put together a big day at the plate, going 4-for-5 while driving in three runs in game one while following that up with two hits and an RBI in game two.
In game two, Natalie Harding dropped in three hits and drove in a run while Madison East scored two runs and drove in one while knocking two hits.
Kerrigan Hoffmann tossed five innings in game two to earn the victory in the nightcap.
With two hits in game one, Grace Dadzaa surpassed the 100-career hit plateau.
Game One: Pitt-Bradford 11, La Roche 3
The Panthers got off to a quick 1-0 lead as Hillery knocked her first RBI of the day, a single that scored Betty Fratercangelo.
Melissa Nye made it 3-0 in the third with a two-run single that scored Hillery and East.
The Panthers broke the game open with a three-spot in the fourth. Dadzaa drove in Harding with an infield single, and Hillery scored East and Fratercangelo with a two-run double.
A sacrifice fly from East in the fifth that scored Harding made the Panther lead 7-0.
La Roche got on the board in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run double, but the Panthers got them both back in the top of the sixth.
Chandler White singled home Nye and Kennedy Cratty scored on a wild pitch.
A two-run single from Cratty in the seventh put the Panthers ahead 11-2.
La Roche got one across in the seventh with the Panthers were able to hold the Redhawks off and complete the 11-3 win.
Uhing improved to 5-3 on the season as she tossed all seven innings.
Game Two: Pitt-Bradford 8, La Roche 3
Pitt-Bradford once again got off to a hot start offensively as East singled home Dadzaa and Hillery scored East in the top of the first.
La Roche cut the lead to 2-1 in the fourth with an RBI single, but Pitt-Bradford came through with two runs in the top of the fifth.
Kendra Colgrove tripled and scored on an RBI single from Harding and Dadzaa singled home Fratercangelo to put the Panthers ahead 4-1.
La Roche once again cut the lead to one, though, with a pair in the fifth on an RBI triple and RBI single.
The Panther defense came up with a huge play to escape the threat and preserve the lead, working an inning-ending double play with a line out to Jenna Fellows at short, who then threw to third to get the runner off the base.
Pitt-Bradford answered in the top of the sixth as Hillery and Nye worked back-to-back singles.
Colegrove delivered the big hit with two away, a single to center field that scored Hillery and Karissa Cratty to put the Panthers ahead, 6-3.
She later came into score on an error off the bat of Fratercangelo to give the Panthers a 7-3 lead.
Pitt-Bradford tacked on its eighth run of the game in the seventh. East worked a leadoff single and eventually scored on a ball in play off the bat of Nye.
On in relief of Hoffmann, Morgan Bellush threw the final two innings and stuck out two to shut the door and secure the victory for Pitt-Bradford.
Harding led the way with three hits while Colegrove, East, Dadzaa and Hillery had two apiece. Fratercangelo doubled and Nye also recorded a hit for the Panthers.
Up next, the Panthers will play a pair of road AMCC opponents as they travel to Franciscan Monday and D'Youville Tuesday.
