Softball Trumped by Undefeated Pittsburgh

Sunday, February 15

Santa Barbara, Calif.

12:00 PM

Rutgers

2-3

Pittsburgh

10-0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Pittsburgh	0	0	3	2	2	1	0	8	9	1
Rutgers	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	8	3

Feb 15 | Softball

Box Score

Feb. 15, 2015

Final Stats

SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. (Feb. 15, 2015) - Concluding its final day at the Guacho Classic, the Rutgers softball team fell to an undefeated Pittsburgh team by a score of 8-2 on Sunday at Campus Diamond.

"The best part of our game this weekend was our pitching and our short game," said head coach Jay Nelson. "We pitched pretty well, but we have to work on our defense. Our hitting was okay, but our timing was a little off. This will come together the more we play."

The Scarlet Knights move to an overall record of 2-3, while the Panthers maintain a perfect 10-0 mark to start 2015.

Senior left-hander Alyssa Landrith (Vacaville, Calif.) gave RU a strong start, opening the game with two consecutive 1-2-3 and out performances in the top of the first and second.

With the game scoreless after two innings, Pittsburgh took its turn at the plate to start off the third. Junior Kathryn Duran homered to left field to put the Panthers on the board first. Following two throwing errors from the RU defense, the Panthers scored another run to take an early 2-0 lead.

The Rutgers offense started to puck up momentum at the bottom of the third. Junior Stephanie Huang (Paramus, N.J.) singled to leadoff RU, followed by a walk for senior Chandler Howard (North Wilmington, Del.). Senior Jackie Bates (Lincroft, N.J.) registered a single of her own to load the bases with freshman Rebecca Hall (Fairfax, Va.) due up. Hall set up the scoring run, but Huang was tagged out at home. Junior Melanie Slowinski (Severn, Md.) took the plate next, however, she grounded out to end the inning.Scarlet Knights ended the inning with two hits and three left on base.

The Panthers extended their lead to 5-0 at the top of the third with a two-run homer from freshman McKayla Taylor. Sophomore Shayla Sweeney (Barrington, N.J.) entered for RU to take over on the mound. Sweeney retired the first batter up as the RU defense aided the rest of the way. Junior Jordan Whitley (Clayton, Del.) caught junior Ashlee Sills in an attempt at stealing third to end the inning and to bring the Scarlet Knights offense back to the diamond.

Rutgers quickly loaded the bases for the second consecutive inning with the 2014 ECAC All-Star, Howard, up to bat. Howard registered a two-run RBI, sending freshman Jacqueline Kott (Burlington, N.J.) and sophomore Bridget Carr (Peaquannock, N.J.) home to cut into the deficit, 5-2.

Pittsburgh came out with another two-run homer from Erin Hershman to open the fifth inning, giving the Panthers a five-run advantage, 7-2. The Panther momentum did not end there as McKayla Taylor hit a leadoff homer at the top of the sixth that would ultimately seal the victory for the Pittsburgh, 8-2.

Pittsburgh's Savannah King (6-0) grabbed the win, while Landrith (1-2) suffered the loss for RU.

The Scarlet Knights return to action on Friday, Feb 27 for a three-day tournament hosted by Fresno State. The tournament will feature host Fresno State, UCSB, Saint Mary's (Calif.) and Oregon State.

KNIGHT NOTES

Rutgers ended the weekend at the Guacho Classic with a 2-3 record.
Freshmen Jacqueline Kott, Rebecca Hall and Meaghan Wells all made their first starts as Scarlet Knights at the Guacho Classic. Freshman Sierra Maddox also made an appearance in two games.
The four home runs by Pittsburgh were the most allowed since March 13, 2013, against USF (4).
Chandler Howard leads the team with a .353 batting average, three RBIs and three doubles to start her senior campaign. Howard is on a five-game hit streak to start the season.
Jordan Whitley and Howard are tied for the longest reached base streak at five.
Four Scarlet Knights have each recorded a multiple hit game, including Liz Adams, Melanie Slowinski, Stephanie Huang and Howard.

Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers softball, follow the program on Twitter (@RUSoftball) and Instagram (@RU_Softball). The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersSB ).

- RU-