Hamburg, N.Y. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford softball team clinched the 2nd seed and its corresponding 1st-round bye in the upcoming AMCC tournament with a sweep of Hilbert on Thursday. The Panthers battled to win game one 7-5, and then used a Bri Heller no-hitter to take game two 11-0 in 5 innings.

Game 1: Pitt-Bradford 7 - Hilbert 5

The first game of the day got off to a good start for Pitt-Bradford as they took a 3-0 lead in the 5th. They could not hold off the Hawks, who rallied to take a 4-3 lead before Pitt-Bradford responded and outscored the hosts 4-1 over the final two innings to win the game 7-5.

Krislyn Clement started in the circle for the Panthers and dominated early. She scattered three singles and two walks over the first four innings, keeping the hosts off the board. The Panther offense also sputtered early, as the first 8 batters were retired before Lizzy Hoovler beat out an infield single for the Panthers' first hit. 

Pitt-Bradford was finally able to break through in the 4th. With two outs, Lexi Peters doubled to deep left field and then scored when Clement helped her own cause, hitting a single to center to put the Panthers ahead.

Clement posted a shutdown inning in the 4th and was rewarded in the 5th, as the Panthers tacked on two more runs. Lilly Hamels led off with a single, and then Ciera Adams hit a single to right field. Pinch runner Lauren Frascella and Adams each took an extra base on the hit, Frasecella scored on a Hoovler single to center, and then Adams scampered home on a wild pitch, pitting Pitt-Bradfor ahead 3-0. 

The hosts rallied in the 6th, scoring 4 times to take a lead. After a leadoff single, the Panthers got two quick outs with a line-drive double play. Unfortunately, the Hawks got hot at the plate, rattling off 5 straight hits, including 2 doubles to go ahead 4-3. 

The Hilbert lead was short-lived, as Pitt-Bradford rallied to score 3 times in the 6th to go back in front. Sara Stroup drew a leadoff walk and then took second on a single to right by Clement. Both runners moved into scoring position with an error and a stolen base before Meghan Kapp singled to center to bring in Stroup. Pinch runner Anna Boklich and Clement pulled off a double steal to give the Panthers a 5-4 lead and then after a single to right field by Hamels, Bokulich scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Adams. 

Clement returned to the circle with a lead, and shut down the Hawks, working around a single and an error to keep Hilbert off the board,

In the 7th, Miranda Groll manufactured an insurance run before an out was recorded. She drew a leadoff walk and then stole second, and moved to third on a wild pitch. She followed that up by taking home on a delayed steal, giving Pitt-Bradford a 7-4 lead in the final inning. Starting the bottom of the frame, Clement allowed a leadoff single in the infield and then after a wild pitch, a single to left. A sacrifice fly to right field drove in a run on the first out before a line drive back to Clement resulted in a game-ending double play.

Krislyn Clement (10-2) picked up the win, allowing 5 earned runs in 7 innings pitched. She struck out 6 and chipped in offensively, going 2 for 3 with a run scored, an RBI, and 2 stolen bases. Two other Panthers logged multi-hit games on the day. Lizzy Hoovler finished 2 for 2 with an RBI and a walk. Lilly Hamels also finished 2 for 3 with a pair of singles.

Game 2: Pitt-Bradford 11 - Hilbert 0 - 5 Innings

The Panthers dominated all aspects of game two, winning 11-0 in 5 innings while starting pitcher Bri Heller tossed the program's 5th no-hitter since joining the NCAA in 1998. 

Pitt-Bradford exploded out of the gates, scoring 6 times in the top of the first. Faith McLaughlin led off the game with a single and then moved to third on a hit by Miranda Groll. Sara Stroup drove in both runners, hitting a triple to center field. She scored a batter later on an RBI groundout by Lexi Peters. The Panthers restarted the rally with a walk to Clement and then a fielding error and a stole base put Clement and Heller in scoring position. Lilly Hamels drove a single into left field to bring in the runners and then moved to third on a single by Ciera Adams. After a strikeout, McLaughlin picked up her 2nd hit of the frame, driving another single to right to give Pitt-Bradford a 6-0 edge.

Heller set down the side in order with a groundout and 2 strikeouts and then saw the lead grow in he second when the Panthers tacked on 2 more runs. Lexi Peters led off with a single and then took second when Heller lined a single into left field. a double steal resulted in an error and a run scored by Peters putting the Panthers up 7-0. Hamels followed that with her second run-scoring single of the game, dropping a hit into right field to bring in Heller.

The Hawks put their first runner on base against Heller with a walk in the 2nd, but the freshman pitcher quickly shut down the rally with a fielder's choice on a groundout and another K. 

Moving to the 3rd, the Panthers' offense continued to roll, scoring two additional times. Groll hit a one-out single to center and then moved to 2nd by beating out a fielder's choice. A wild pitch put two Panthers in scoring position before Peters and Clement each brought in a run with a single.

Heller retired the side in order in the 3rd and then watched the offense score their 11th run in the 4th. Adams led off with a single to center and took second on an error in the outfield. A subsequent Hilbert error allowed her to score.

 In the bottom of the 4th, Heller walked the leadoff batter but struck out the side to end the inning. 

The Panthers loaded the bases with an error and hits by Kendall Dotson and Lexi Najdusak, but could not add to their lead. 

Heller returned to the circle, looking to close out a no-hitter, and made quick work of the Hilbert offense, striking out 3 more Hawks to finish the game.

Bri Heller (8-4) pitched her first collegiate no-hitter, allowing only two runners to reach on walks. She struck out 10 batters, including the final six of the game. Her no-hitter is the second for the Panthers in as many years, and the first in a win since Jordan Uhing did the same in 2021. Offensively, the Panthers pounded out 16 hits, led by Miranda Groll who finished 3 for 3 with 2 runs and a walk. Lilly Hamels went 2 for 3 and drove in 3 runs while scoring another. Faith McLaughlin, Lexi Peters, and Ciera Adams all had multi-hit games in the win. Peters and Sara Stroup both had 2 RBI.

The Panthers move to 21-9 on the season with a 12-4 record in AMCC play. Due to tiebreaking procedures, they have locked up the 2nd seed in the AMCC tournament and will receive a first-round bye in the double-elimination tournament. They will bring their regular season to a close tomorrow when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on LaRoche.