The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg softball team opened postseason play in emphatic fashion Wednesday afternoon, pulling away late for an 11-3 victory over Pitt-Bradford in the first round of the AMCC Tournament at Heindl Field.
With the win, the Bobcats improved to 17-22 overall and advanced to face Penn State Behrend tomorrow at 1 p.m. in tournament action.
After stranding runners in scoring position during the opening inning, Pitt-Greensburg settled in behind a complete-game effort from Autumn Powell and a balanced offensive attack that produced 12 hits and runs in five different innings.
Pitt-Bradford struck first in the bottom of the second when Kalie Dixon lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Krislyn Clement for a 1-0 lead. The Bobcats answered immediately in the third. Jadyn Davis opened the inning with a double to right center before Jessica Dunn lined an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1.
The Panthers regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single from Clement, but Pitt-Greensburg responded again in the fourth. Falynn Reinard singled to begin the frame and later scored on an RBI single from Powell. Moments later, Davis brought home another run after reaching on a fielder's choice and a Pitt-Bradford error, giving the Bobcats a 3-2 advantage.
Pitt-Bradford tied the game in the bottom of the fourth following a double from Dixon and a throwing error, but the Bobcats took control for good in the fifth inning. Dunn reached on an error before Hunter Taylor ripped an RBI double to right center and advanced to third on the throw. Reinard later added a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 5-3.
Powell and the Bobcat defense took over from there, holding the Panthers scoreless over the final three innings. Powell retired the side in order in the fifth and worked around two hits in the seventh to close out the win. The senior tossed all seven innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out three to earn her 10th victory of the season.
Pitt-Greensburg added an insurance run in the sixth when Powell doubled and later scored on an RBI groundout by Mckenzie Lamb. The Bobcats then broke the game open with a five-run seventh inning. Reinard delivered an RBI double, Lamb followed with a two-run double to right center, Davis added an RBI groundout, and Shelby Cloak capped the inning with an RBI single to left.
Lamb finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Reinard went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Powell helped her own cause with two hits, two runs scored, and an RBI, while Cloak added two hits and an RBI. Davis, Dunn, and Taylor each drove in runs as part of the Bobcats' 11-run effort.
