Diamond Dandies

The Pittsburgh Panthers softball team and Culpeper product Reba Tutt made a late season push to finish the regular season with a record above .500, but the Panthers couldn’t quite slip into the field for the Big East tournament.

Tutt, a standout at Culpeper County High School and Highland School before signing with Pitt, started every game for the Panthers and led the team with a .279 batting average. Pitt won nine of its final 12 games to finish the season 25-24 overall, but the Panthers’ 9-15 conference record left them one game behind Seton Hall for the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament.

Tutt played a big role in Pitt’s 8-0 victory over South Florida in Sunday’s season finale. The sophomore centerfielder walked twice and scored a run and also drove in the game-ending run when she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

A day earlier Tutt hit her fourth home run of the season, tying her for second on the team. She also was third on the team with 21 RBI and led the Panthers in slugging at .449.

TOURNEY TIME: Radford is set to host the Big South softball tournament starting Thursday and the Highlanders have the No. 1 seed after winning the league’s regular season title. It’s safe to say freshmen Nichole and Michelle Beall out of Culpeper County High School had a lot to do with Radford securing its first Big South championship.

Each of the twin sisters won the Big South’s Player of the Week award at different times this season, helping Radford finish with a 37-12 overall record and wrap up the conference slate at 16-2, setting a school record for conference victories.

Nichole Beall finished second in the conference in home runs with 10 and hit .364 with a team-high 42 RBI. Michelle hit .306 with 18 RBI and four homers.

The Highlanders could secure their first NCAA Tournament appearance by winning the conference tournament and taking the Big South’s automatic bid. Radford opens the tourney Thursday at 3 p.m. against the winner of the Charleston Southern-Gardner Webb game earlier that day.

ON THE RUN: Former CCHS baseball player Cameron Scott has made a late season push at Old Dominion to get his batting average up to .255, jumping .020 points in April. He’s also hit three home runs with 16 RBI, but he’s done the most damage on the base paths for the Monarchs.

Scott leads the team with 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts, which ranks him third in the Colonial Athletic Conference.