Pitt softball not offered NCAA at-large bid
One more out.
That is what the Pitt softball team needed Saturday to win the ACC tournament.
After a heartbreaking walk-off loss to Florida State in the conference title game, and after the NCAA tournament brackets were announced, the loss meant that Pitt is on the outside looking in.
Or, in other words, one more (team) out.
The loss stings in more than one way.
When the University of Pittsburgh announced on Sept. 17, 2011, that it was leaving the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference, many felt that it was a mistake as the athletic department as a whole would not be able to compete in the bigger, and deeper, ACC.
Pitt, along with Syracuse, who also announced its intentions the same day, were accepted in a day later on Sept. 18, 2011, and both left the Big East on July 1, 2013, and became official members of the ACC.
While there have been some regular season team championships won since then, there has not been one conference tournament title in any sport.
It appeared that would change Saturday.
Pitt, the Coastal Division champions, led Florida State, the Atlantic Division champions, when it scored four runs in the top of the sixth with some help from FSU.
With runners on first and second, a passed ball moved both runners up a base. Freshman Hunter Levesque then blooped a single to score the first run before Pitt received some help from the Seminoles. An error brought in the second run and then Pitt scored a run on a passed ball and another on a wild pitch to make it 4-0.
After FSU made the score 4-1 in the home half of the sixth, the Seminoles scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to win the game, earn the team蘑菇视频 sixth straight ACC tourney title and ultimately knock Pitt out of the NCAA tournament.
Anna Shelnutt蘑菇视频 walk-off, three-run home run is a play that Pitt softball fans will have to relive for a long time.
A win would have garnered an automatic bid for Pitt, but the Lady Panthers were left out of the tournament while the Seminoles were given a top seed.
The win would have been huge for the Pitt softball team, its recruiting efforts and the athletic department, as a whole. The team only loses five seniors and has a decent recruiting class, including Yough蘑菇视频 Hannah Bach, coming in.
Having finished with a 33-18-1 record, the Pitt softball program is moving in the right direction.
Unfortunately, it will remember the one more out it needed to bring the university its first ACC tourney championship.
Fayette softball, baseball pick up honors
Four players from the Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus softball team, plus head coach John Miller, received honors for the 2019 season.
Miller was names the PSUAC Coach of the Year, while Tiffany Markovitch was named to the conference first team. Aubrey Yates made the second team, while a pair of players, Casey Hite and Hannah Kline, received honorable mention honors.
Kline also won the PSUAC John Fritz Sportsmanship Award, the second time she won it this year after being recognized during the basketball season.
Kody Thomas was given honorable mention on the PSUAC baseball team, while Ross Mazer earned the PSUAC John Fritz Sportsmanship Award.
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