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Softball
Cavaliers Upended in Series Opener at Pittsburgh
April 20, 2018
PITTSBURGH – Olivia Gott (Weston, Fla.) went 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs, but Pittsburgh (24-16-1, 12-6 ACC) scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull away from Virginia (12-33, 3-16) for a 9-2 win in the series opener.
Gott’s two home runs mark the second time the junior has produced multiple home runs in a single game. She previously homered twice against Howard back on March 4. It is the fourth time overall a Cavalier has hit two homers in a single game this season.
Along with Gott, Allison Davis (Oak Hill, Va.) finished with a multi-hit game. The center fielder went 2-for-4 as she and Gott combined for five of the Cavaliers’ seven hits.
The Panthers opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, capitalizing on a pair of walks and a double to score a pair. Pitt extended the lead to 3-0 with a solo home run in the bottom of the third.
Gott pulled a run back for the Cavaliers with her fourth-inning solo shot. The seventh of the year for the junior, Gott’s towering blast came on a 1-1 pitch to cut the deficit to 3-1. The home run also matched a career high for Gott in a single season.
Pitt answered back in the bottom of the inning, as a pair of Virginia errors proved costly. A leadoff single and an error put two aboard. A dropped foul ball ended with the batter drawing a walk to load the bases. The Panthers then used a double off the wall to make it a 5-1 game.
In the sixth, Gott made it a 3-for-3 day at the plate as she tagged another solo home run to left center field. The rocket hit the back of the soccer stands in nearly an identical spot as Gott’s first homer and set a new career high for the junior.
The Panthers responded with four more runs in their half of the sixth. A leadoff walk spelled trouble and Giorgiana Zeremenko singled home the first run of the inning. A two-out triple and single gave the Panthers an 8-2 advantage before another double made it a seven-run game.
Tabby Dabney (Mechanicsville, Va.) went 3 1/3 innings in the start. She surrendered five runs, only three of which were earned, on three hits. Dabney (0-9) was charged with the loss.
Erika Osherow (Darien, Conn.) worked 2 2/3 innings in relief. Osherow was charged with four runs, all earned, on five hits. She also struck out four in the appearance.
UP NEXT
Virginia and Pittsburgh continue the series with game two on Saturday (April 21) in a 1 p.m. first pitch on ACC Network Extra.