Softball Drops a Doubleheader to Notre Dame

4/22/2000

The contest marked Pittsburgh's final home games of the season.

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Panthers softball team dropped a doubleheader to 19th-ranked Notre Dame today at Frick Field and closed out its home schedule. Notre Dame took game one, 7-3, and went on to a 10-0 decision in game two.

In the first game, the Fighting Irish built a 7-0 lead through six innings and held the Panthers scoreless until the bottom of the seventh. But, Pittsburgh put together three runs off two hits and three errors to avoid the shutout. Freshman Tawni Yamauchi (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) began the scoring when she crossed the plate on a fielding error. Pittsburgh capitalized on another Notre Dame error and Amy Steich's (Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville) RBI single to add two more runs before the inning ended.

Steich led the Panthers with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate with one RBI.

In game two, Notre Dame came out strong and took a 7-0 advantage after just two innings. The Fighting Irish added two more runs in the third and Pittsburgh could not overcome the deficit.

The losses drop Pittsburgh's record to 19-24 overall and 3-9 in the Big East. The Panthers return to action next weekend when they travel to Seton Hall April 29 and St. John's April 30.