PITTSBURGH, PA – La Roche Softball battled on senior day, but came up short against Pitt-Bradford 11-3, 8-3. They are still alive for a playoff spot but are unfortunately on the wrong end off all tiebreakers of teams chasing them.
Game 1: Pitt-Bradford took a 1-0 lead on a bloop single in the first inning. The Redhawks went down in order in the bottom of the inning.
Devan Smith made a terrific defensive stop in the second, forcing Pitt-Bradford to leave runners at first and second. The Panthers got two more in the top of the third, but Kaylee Grassmyer left runners at the corners.
The Redhawks stranded a pair in the third and Pitt-Bradford extended their lead to 6-0 in the fourth. They added another run in the fifth, but left the bases loaded.
La Roche responded with two in the bottom of the fifth. Devan Smith and Meghan Haynes provided singles and Alexis Medva drew a walk. Ashley Burford came abroad with the bases loaded and sent a ball to deep left-centerfield and off the top of the wall for a 2-run double.
Pitt-Bradford scored twice in the sixth and struck for two more in the seventh.
The Redhawks put runners on the corners with no outs in the seventh. Aubrie Martin made it 11-3 with a sac fly, but the Panthers held on for the victory.
Burford went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs and a run. Medva and Devan Smith scored runs and Martin hit in one.
Game 2: Pitt-Bradford plated a pair in the top of the first, but an inning ending 6-4-3 double play limited the damage.
The Redhawks stranded runners on the corners in the second and a runner at third in the third.
La Roche used another Haynes-Smith-Martin inning ending double play to get out of the fourth.
The Redhawks used the momentum to strike for a run in the bottom of the inning. Bayer singled to left and scored on a Martin single to right field. La Roche could have added more but a groundout left the bases loaded.
Pitt-Bradford struck for two more in the fifth. The Redhawks got back both in the bottom of the inning. Plato led off with a single and Leonard helped her cause with an RBI triple to the wall. Bayer singled home Leonard in the next at bat to make it a 4-3 game.
The Panthers added three unearned runs and the Redhawks left a runner on second to end the sixth.
Pitt-Bradford made it 8-3 in the seventh and went on to win by the same score.
Martin reached base three times and had an RBI. Bayer went 2 for 4 with a run and RBI.