March 16, 2008

Box Score

HARRISONBURG, Va.-- Junior Samantha Card smacked her fourth homer of the season, as the University of Pittsburgh softball team won the James Madison Tournament with an 8-5 victory over Akron at JMU Softball Complex. The Panthers improved to 12-11 with their second tournament title of the season, while the Zips fell to 5-14.

Card (Miami, Fla./Our Lady of Lourdes/Florida International) recorded her team-leading fourth home run of the season, and the second of the week, in the first inning as the Panthers got on the board early with four runs in the opening inning.

The inning began with five consecutive hits and a Zip pitching change. Card's homer was a two-run long ball through center field. On the previous play, freshmen Reba Tutt (Culpeper, Va./Highland) and Ashley Amistade (Washington, Pa./Trinity) scored thanks to senior Jessica Dignon's (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) sixth double of the season.

Card was 3-for-4 with three RBI in the contest. On the year she leads the squad with 26 hits and a .351 batting average, while being second with 17 RBI.

Unlike their earlier meeting in the JMU Tournament, the Panthers out-hit Akron 14-7, and saw three different pitchers.

Later in the second inning, Dignon tallied another double to score Tutt. Card then traded places with Dignon after she doubled on the next play.

At the plate, Dignon went 2-for-4, scoring four runs and driving in three RBI. She also collected four assists in the game.

Akron answered in the bottom of the third with two runs off three hits, but Pitt pushed ahead when Dignon scored in the top of the fourth off a senior Mary Hecker (Roseville, Calif./Roseville) single.

The Panthers and Zips traded a run in the sixth, but it looked as if Pitt was going to repeat the outcome from their first meeting when Akron scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh. However, freshman Cory Berliner (Fort Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain) caught two batters looking to end the game and secure the win.

Berliner earned her seventh win of the season, as she struck out a career-high 10 batters. Berliner leads the team with 78 strikeouts on the season and a 1.36 ERA.

Pitt enters a bye week and will open Big East action on Saturday, March 29, at Villanova.