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Softball
Virginia Falls in Walk-Off at Pitt
April 21, 2018
PITTSBURGH — Hits were hard to come by as Virginia (12-34, 3-17 ACC) and Pittsburgh (25-16-1, 13-6 ACC) battled in a pitchers’ duel Saturday afternoon, but the Panthers found the pivotal hit to walk-off with a 3-2 win.
Lacy Smith (Lancaster, Pa.) put together one of her most impressive games of the season, going the distance in the loss. Smith (5-9) rebounded after a first-inning home run to hold the Panthers scoreless over the next five. She finished the day with 6 1/3 innings on her line, while holding Pitt to just six hits.
Offensively, the Cavaliers lived on the long ball once again as Olivia Gott (Weston, Fla.) and Erika Osherow (Darien, Conn.) each lifted solo home runs to provide the scoring for the Hoos.
For the second day in a row, the Panthers opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Pitt slugger Giorgiana Zeremenko launched her 14th home run of the season, a two-run shot to give the Panthers an early lead.
Virginia broke through on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth as Gott stayed red-hot in Pittsburgh. The Wahoo backstop went opposite field for her third home run of the series, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The home run was Gott’s ninth on the season, giving the Cavaliers three players with nine or more homers on the year.
An inning later, Osherow tied the game with her solo shot to open the fifth. In a 2-0 count, the junior tagged the scoreboard beyond the left field wall, leveling the game a 2-2. The long ball was Osherow’s fifth of the year.
Pitt handed the Cavaliers a golden opportunity in the top of the seventh, as an error and single put two aboard with no outs. Virginia failed to capitalize, however, as a double play helped the Panthers escape the inning.
The missed opportunity proved costly, as a line drive tipped just off a Cavalier glove to open the bottom of the seventh before a single off the wall sent the Panthers to a 3-2, walk-off victory.
UP NEXT
Virginia and Pittsburgh conclude the series on Sunday (April 22) with a noon first pitch from Vartabedian Field.