Erie, Pa. -- The 2nd-seeded University of Pitt-Bradford Softball team opened the AMCC Championship tournament on Thursday afternoon and fell to 6th-seeded Hilbert 6-4.
Krislyn Clement started in the circle for the Panthers and was dominant early, retiring the side in order through the first three innings. The Panther offense was not able to take advantage of the strong start, as they were also kept quiet. Faith McLaughlin led off the game and was hit by a pitch, but could not advance past second base. In the third, Lexi Najdusak singled with one out and then stole second base, but was left stranded after a popup to the catcher and a fly ball to right.
Pitt-Bradford ran into trouble in the 4th, as the Hawks scored 5 times on 3 hits, 3 walks, and a crucial error. Clement retired the leadoff batter but then saw the Hawks load the bases on two singles around a walk. Hilbert took the lead when a walk forced in the first run and a fielder's choice let the second score. With two outs, Clement induced a grounder back to the circle, but her throw two first was not handled, allowing another run to come in and continue the inning. Another walk filled the bases again and then a two-out bloop single brought in two more, putting the Panthers down 5-0.
The Panthers went down quietly in the bottom of the inning before Bri Heller replaced Clement to start the 5th. Coming off of a 5-inning no-hitter against the Hawks last week, she quickly retired the side, allowing just a walk.
Pitt-Bradford's offense woke up in the bottom of the 5th, cutting the lead to two. Lilly Hamels started the rally with a one-out walk and was replaced by pinch runner Lauren Frascella. Frascella took second on a wild pitch and then scored when Ciera Adams reached on a throwing error. The Panthers loaded the bases when Najdusak singled up the middle and McLaughlin drew a walk. Miranda Groll came up with a big hit, singling to left field to bring in two runs and chase the Hilbert starting pitcher. After the change, the Panther rally came to a quick end, as Sara Stroup hit a hard grounder down the 3b line that was snagged and resulted in a 5-5-3 double play.
Heller kept the Hawks at bay in the 6th, but the Panthers could not continue their comeback, going down in order in the bottom half.
In the 7th, Hilbert tacked on an insurance run with a two-out rally. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, Heller hit a batter and then allowed a single to right field. After a wild pitch, a single through the left side drove in a run and extended the Hilbert lead to 3. Heller ended the inning a batter later with a fly ball to center field.
Needing at least 3 runs to continue the game, the Panthers got off to a strong start in the 7th as Hamels drew another walk and then Adams singled up the middle. Najdusak drove in pinch runner Anna Bokulich with a groundout to first base. The lineup card flipped back to the top, but the Pitt-Bradford rally came to a quick end as the next two Panthers were retired on fly balls to left and center.
Krislyn Clement (10-3) picked up the loss after allowing 5 runs, 2 earned, on 3 hits in 4.0 innings pitched. She struck out 1 batter. Bri Heller pitched the final three innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 2. Lexi Najdusak led the Panther offense, going 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI. Miranda Groll drove in a pair, and Lilly Hamels started both Panther rallies by drawing crucial walks.
The Panthers fall to 23-10 on the season and into the elimination portion of the bracket in the AMCC tournament. They will take on 4th-seeded Penn State-Altoona at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
