April 21, 2002

PITTSBURGH- It was only fitting that second baseman Clare McCann delivered the game-winning double in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead the Panthers to a 2-1 victory over Virginia Tech in the second game of a doubleheader. McCann, a senior from Wyckoff, N.J., was playing in her final home game on Senior Day.

With two outs and catcher Tiffany White (Carlsbad, Calif./Palomar C.C.) on second base, McCann lifted her second extra-base hit of the season into the left-center field gap and scored White with the winning run. White, who had doubled earlier in the game and gave way to pinch-runner Jodi McGartland (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park) with the Panthers' first run, had reached on a walk and moved to second on a one-out sacrifice bunt by Natalie Phillips (Utica, N.Y./Mohawk Valley C.C.). With the game tied at 1-1 in the top half of the 10th inning, Phillips made an outstanding sliding catch to keep the Hokies off the board.

Junior pitcher Nikki Gasti (Carmichaels, Pa./Carmichaels) picked up the win by pitching all 10 innings. Gasti (9-14) allowed seven hits and one unearned run while striking out seven Hokie batters opposed to just three walks. Virginia Tech got its only run in the top of the first inning when Amy Voorhees reached on a two-out error by Angela Blackmon (San Diego, Calif./Palomar C.C.) an dmoved to second on a single by Clarisa Crowell. She later scored on a single by Shanel Garofalo.

Pittsburgh (20-28, 5-9 Big East), which lost the first game, 4-0, tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third inning. White led off with a double and McGartland was inserted and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior Amy Steich (Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville). A single by McCann scored McGartland from third base and the game remained tied until McCann's heroics in the bottom of the 10th.

The Hokies (30-16, 6-8) were led by pitcher Ashley Dobbe in game one as the senior threw her fifth no-hitter of the season and ninth of her career in the 4-0 win. Dobbe walked six Panther batters but struck out 10 for the complete game victory. Pittsburgh pitcher Gina Bessolo (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood) pitched a very strong game, recording a school-record 13 strikeouts in the loss. Crowell hit her third and fourth home runs of the season to account for three of the Hokies' four runs.

Pittsburgh will be off until April 30 when it visits Robert Morris for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. The Panthers are one win away from tying the school record for victories in a season with 21, set in 2000.