Naples, Fla. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford softball team kicked off its stay in Florida with a bang, easily winning three contests on their first day of play in the Gene Cusic Invitational. They defeated North Central 12-2, took down MCLA 10-2 in 5 innings, and finished the day with a 9-1 win over Baruch in 6 innings.

Game 1: Pitt-Bradford 12 - North Central 2

The Panthers got their trip off to a quick start with a 12-2 win over the Rams of North Central.

It did not take the Panthers long to score, as they used 3 hits and an error to score twice in the top of the first. Miranda Groll started the rally with a bunt single, and then quickly moved to third with a stolen base and a throwing error. After Lilly Hamels walked, Lexi Peters drove in the first run of the game with a line drive to left. Ciera Adams followed with a single up the middle to bring in Hamels and double the lead.

Meghan Kapp started the game in the circle for Pitt Bradford and got off to a shaky start. Despite the 2-run lead, Kapp ran into trouble early as the Rams were able to score a run before an out was recorded on a hit batter, a walk, a wild pitch, and a double steal. Two outs and a hit batter later, North Central tied the game with a single to center. Following a wild pitch, Kapp walked her 2nd batter of the inning, but on the final pitch, Hamels threw behind the runner at third base to pick her off and end the threat. 

The Panthers retook the lead immediately, scoring two more times in the 2nd. Lexi Najdusak turned the lineup over with a one-out single and then was able to score when Faith McLaughlin hit a sinking line drive to left. The Ram outfielder tried to make a spectacular catch but the spin on the ball allowed it to drop and skid underneath the diving effort. The ball rolled all the way to the fence and McLaughlin was able to round the bases for an inside-the-park home run. 

Kapp settled down after being staked another two-run lead, making quick work of the Rams in the bottom half to post an important shutdown inning. Pitt-Bradford was able to put runners on in both the 3rd and 4th innings but were unable to add to their lead. With the confidence of a shutdown inning behind her, Kapp kept rolling in the circle, retiring six batters in a row.

The Panthers added 2 more runs in the 5th extending their lead to 6-2. Hamels led off the frame with a single, and then a batter later, Adams hit her 3rd single of the day to right field, sending pinch runner Lauren Frascella to third. During the next at-bat, Adams was able to steal second base, and an errant throw on the play allowed Frascella to scamper home. Adams moved to third on the same error and then scored when Kearstin Foster grounded out to the pitcher. In the bottom half, Kapp allowed a leadoff single, but the runner was quickly thrown out stealing by Hamels, and Kapp retired the next two for another shutdown frame.

In the 6th, the Panthers went down quietly due to a double play, and Kapp continued rolling in the circle, posting another 1-2-3 frame. 

True to form, the Panthers tacked on 6 runs in the top of the 7th, bringing their 7th inning season run total to 13. Peters led off the inning with a walk before Adams dropped her 4th hit of the game into right centerfield. Kapp helped her own cause with an RBI single down the line, and then Hannah Fisher dropped a hit in nearly the same spot. Following a ly out to left, Najdusak reached on her third single of the game and McLaughlin brought in another run when she reached on a fielder's choice. Groll followed with a run-scoring double to left center, and Hamels capped the rally with a 2-run single to right center. 

Kapp returned to the circle to close out the game and worked around a one-out single to secure her first collegiate win.

Meghan Kapp (1-0) earned her first win of the season with a complete game performance. She allowed 2 earned on 3 hits and 2 walks. After allowing 5 runners to reach in the first, she allowed only two batters to reach base for the remainder of the game, both singles. The Panthers pounded out 16 hits in the game, led by Ciera Adams who finished 4 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. Lexi Najdusak went 3 for 3 in the game and scored twice. Lilly Hamels had a 2-hit performance, and was also solid defensively, throwing out two base runners. Faith McLaughlin drove in 3 runs, scored twice, and hit an inside-the-park home run.

Game 2 - Pitt-Bradford 10 - MCLA 2 - 5 innings

In their second game of the day, the Panthers got off to a slow start but were able to score 8 unanswered in the 4th and 5th innings to defeat the Trailblazers of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 10-2 in 5 innings. 

Bri Heller got the start for Pitt-Bradford and ran into quick trouble as she allowed a run to score before recording an out. Heller walked the leadoff batter, who promptly stole second base, and was also able to take third as the same pitch was wild and got away from Sara Stroup behind the plate. Later in the at-bat, Heller uncorked another wild one, allowing the runner to scamper home. She settled down after that, making quick work of the trailblazers, striking out the side.

The Panthers went down quietly in the first, and then despite allowing a leadoff walk and a wild pitch, Heller was able to post an important 0, as she induced a pop-up in the infield and struck out two more batters to end the threat. In the bottom half, Pitt-Bradford came back and scored a run to tie the game. Adams led off the inning with a single to right, her 5th in a row to begin the spring trip. Krislyn Clement followed with a single up the middle, sending Adams to third. With runners on the corners, Clement was caught off the bag on a short pop-up to the pitcher, seemingly ending the rally, but Adams was able to score on a passed ball to tie things up.

The game did not stay tied for long, as MCLA struck for another run in the third. Heller allowed a one-out walk to the trailblazer's leadoff hitter, who quickly stole second. After a pop-up in the infield, Heller was nearly out of the jam, but MCLA was able to beat out an infield single. MCLA sent the baserunner on the play, who was able to score on the play as the relay throw was errant. MCLA nearly took the lead as the next batter singled, but McLaughlin threw out the base runner attempting to score to end the inning.

Pitt-Bradford came right back in the bottom of the frame and quickly tied the game. Groll was hit by a pitch with one out, and then promptly stole second and moved to third on a passed ball. Later in the at-bat, Freshman Sara Stroup laced her first collegiate hit into center to bring in the run. 

After a diving attempt to catch a short spinning ball in the infield resulted in a leadoff double, Heller was able to quickly put down the MCLA rally, recording two more strikeouts around a groundout to keep the game tied. The Panthers capitalized on the momentum staying in their dugout, scoring 5 times in the bottom of the 4th to jump out to a commanding lead. The Rally started when Kendall Dotson reached on a throwing error, and then the Panthers loaded the bases on a walk and a bunt single. The Panthers took the lead on a wild pitch, which also chased the Trailblazer's starting pitcher from the game. Groll welcomed the new arm with an RBI single to center and took second as MCLA tried to throw out McLaughlin advancing to third. Stroup followed with another run0scoring single as she grounded one through the left side to bring in two more. After she stole third and Peters drew a walk, Adams popped up in the infield, and in an attempt to double off the runner, MCLA threw the ball away, allowing Stroup to score.

Heller returned to the circle with a 5-run advantage in the 5th and after retiring the leadoff batter, allowed a single to let center. The next batter seemed to put runners on the corners with a single on a hit and run through the left side, but the runner was deemed to have left the bag early, resulting in an out. A third straight single did put runners on the corners, but Heller was able to settle down and end the threat with her 8th strikeout of the game.

Leading by 5, the Panthers came back to the plate in the 5th, needing 3 runs to end the game early. Dotson led off the inning with a single to center, and then moved over to third on a passed ball and a groundout to the right side. Najdusak drove in Dotson with a single to right. Following a flyout to center, Groll hit a curling ball down the right field line. The Panthers benefitted from another diving attempt that went awry, as the ball skipped away from the outfield, allowing Groll to circle the bases for a game-ending, 2-run, inside-the-park home run.

Bri Heller (1-1) picked up her first career win, as she pitched all 5 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. She struck out 8 batters, the most in the game for the Panthers since Jordan Uhing had 8 in a win over Hilbert in 2021. A pair of freshmen recorded multi-hit games for the Panthers, and each drove in 3 runs. Miranda Groll finished 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored, and 3 driven in, with an inside-the-park home run. Sara Stroup also went 2 for 3 and drove in 3 Panthers, while scoring once.

Game 3 - Pitt-Bradford 9 - Baruch 1 - 6 innings

To close the day, the Panthers added a third game, as their opponents, Baruch had two games canceled on the last day of their trip. The Panthers completed their 3-win day with a 6-inning 0-1 victory over the Bearcats.

Pitt-Bradford started quickly, as Faith McLaughlin was able to create the opening run with her speed on the basepaths. She led of the game with an infield single and then stole second and third base in quick succession. She was then able to score later in the at-bat when Groll struck out swinging on a pitch in the dirt. Groll smartly broke for first, allowing McLaughlin to scramble home and score on the throw to first base. Later in the inning Peters singled down the left field line but was left at first when the inning ended shortly after. 

Sandra Watne got the start for the Panthers in game three and was able to open the game with a shutdown inning. She worked around a single and a fielding error to post the 0 and get the Panthers back to the dugout. The second and third innings were rather quiet, as the Panthers did not threaten, and Watne faced the minimum due to a 6-4-3 double play in the 2nd. 

The Panthers were finally able to break out in the top of the 4th, scoring 3 times to extend their lead to 4-0. Morgan Maybee started the rally with a one-out single and then moved to third on a wild pitch and a groundout. She scored a batter later when Kapp hit a hot shot down the line that was knocked down, but unable to result in an out. Lizzy Hoovler was next and dropped a single down the left-field line to continue the rally. With two outs, Najdusak delivered, hitting a single into right field. She tried to advance as the throw went to the plate, but wisely got caught in a rundown between the bags. She was able to stay alive long enough for Najdusak to score before getting tagged out at second.

Watne returned to the circle with some breathing room and quickly got two groundouts around a single down the line. She then ran into trouble, as the Bearcats loaded the bases with a walk and a single. Watne forced in a run on a bases-loaded walk but was able to avoid further damage due to a heads-up play in the infield. Watne induced a short ground ball on a check swing, but Kapp was able to race forward, field the ball, and flip the ball to Maybee who raced to cover first for the final out.

The Panthers went down in order in the 5th, and in the bottom half, Watne was relieved by Krislyn Clement. Clement made quick work of Baruch in the 5th, getting two pop-ups and then a strikeout after a two-out single to right center. 

In the 6th, the Panther offense exploded, posting their 3rd 5-run inning of the day. Maybee led off with a single, and then Clement followed with a hit through the right side. After a flyball to right, Hoovler drew a walk to load the bases, and Najdusak singled up the middle to bring in the first run. The lineup flipped back over to McLaughlin, who came through with the big hit, lining a bases-clearing triple into the gap in left-center to score 3 runs. After a pitching change, McLaughlin scored on a Stroup single down the line. 

Leading by 8, Clement allowed a leadoff single to start the bottom of the 6th but quickly retired the side with two strikeouts and a pop-up to end the game. 

Sandra Watne (1-1) picked up the win. She allowed 1 earned run in 4.0 innings pitched on 4 hits and 2 walks. After entering the game with just a 3-run lead, Clement qualifies for an easy save, her first o the year. She threw 2,0 scoreless innings, allowing 2 singles and striking out 3 batters. Faith McLaughlin was the offensive star of the game for Pitt-Bradford. She finished 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored, 3 driven in, and 3 stolen bases. Lexi Najdusak had another multi-hit game, going 2 for 3 with a run scored and 2 driven in. Morgan Maybee also had 2 hits and scored twice.

The three wins catapult the Panthers to a 4-2 overall record. They will look to continue building momentum tomorrow, as they will play two more contests at North Collier Park in Naples. They take on Widener to start the day at 9:00 a.m., and then Westfield State at 11:00.