Softball to Make Home Debut Versus Pittsburgh
4/6/2001 2:18:10 PM | Softball
The Pittsburgh Panthers visit the Softball Stadium at Skytop for a 12 p.m. doubleheader. Pittsburgh enters the weekend at 5-23 overall and 1-3 in the conference.
Sunday's opponent will be the 11th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is currently 28-3 overall and 4-0 in the BIG EAST. Notre Dame, the preseason favorite to win the conference, has captured the last five BIG EAST regular-season championships and the last two conference tournament titles. Doubleheader action gets underway at 12 p.m.
The Orangewomen are coming off a doubleheader split with Virginia Tech in their first-ever BIG EAST games. Syracuse lost a 5-4 decision in the opener, but rebounded to record a 2-0 victory in game two behind a complete-game effort from pitcher Tara DiMaggio.
Sophomore Jackie Herrman leads the squad in hitting with a .265 average. Herrman is riding a season-long six-game hitting streak. She has a .409 average with two doubles and two runs batted in during that stretch. Sophomore Christina Holowich has also been swinging a hot bat, posting a .465 average in three games last weekend. Holowich leads the team with 14 hits, including the Orangewomen's only triple.
DiMaggio paces the pitching staff with a 1.49 ERA. She has a 2-4 record with one shutout. DiMaggio has limited opposing hitters to a .181 average, striking out 38 in 42.1 innings pitched. Junior Heather Brown also has two wins this season and leads the team with 49 strikeouts. Brown struck out 16 in two appearances this past weekend.
Syracuse plays 10 of its next 11 games, and 20 of its final 29 regular-season games, at Skytop. The Orangewomen went 5-2 at home last season.
