Behind the Numbers: Pitt Softball Bounced In ACC Tournament First Round by Virginia
The 2026 Pitt Panthers women’s softball team qualified for the ACC tournament as the 11th seed. They took on the sixth seed Virginia in an opening round matchup. Let’s break down the statistics from the game and see if they advanced to the next round.
It was a close game; however, it was a 2-1 loss which would end the season. The Panthers scored one run on three hits. Calle Henne went 1-2 with a hit by pitch. Ahmari Braden went 2-3 with an RBI. They drew just one walk and struck out 10 times. Pitt also left five on base. The struggles on offense continued as the Panther’s second worst offense in the ACC hurt them in this one.
Virginia pitcher Eden Bigham also seems to have the Panthers number this season. She threw four scoreless innings and struck out seven batters while allowing two hits to earn the win. She threw two scoreless frames in game one of the prior series with two strike outs. Bigham then threw an additional three scoreless frames with four strikeouts to just one walk to earn a save during game three. She pitched a combined nine scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts and one walk with a 1-0 record and a save against Pitt this season.
Kyra Pittman went six innings allowing two runs on four hits. She struck out three and walked one She was efficient throwing just 87 pitches for an average of 14.5 per inning. Yet Virginia still hit her pretty hard with 12 recorded flyouts. Pittman also allowed a home run to Macee Eaton in the sixth inning that tied the game at one. The winning run was unearned after a Pittman throwing error allowing a runner to score from second base. The Panthers committed two errors in the contest and that one was costly.
However, this was the closest game of the season against Virginia. In the series against them in March the Panthers allowed 22 runs for an average of 7.33 and were outscored 22-2. Yet while it was close it ultimately wasn’t enough to advance in the ACC tournament.
Pitt ends the 2026 season with a 25-27 record. The Panters went 8-16 in the ACC. Both records are improvements over the 2025 season where they went 20-32 and 7-17. However, both seasons ended in the same spot with a first-round exit in the ACC tournament.
Steve Samek is a staff writer for DreamBackfield since December 2025 He is a freelance writer in the Pittsburgh, PA Area.
