Baseball: WVU Squanders Late Lead; Drops Nightcap
April 30, 2005 04:42 PM | General
April 30, 2005
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| Posluszny |
PITTSBURGH – Peter Parise’s bloop single to left knocked in Jimmy Mayer and Jim Negrych to give Pitt a 6-5 come-from-behind win over West Virginia in the first game of a Big East doubleheader at Trees Field Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers (21-15, 7-8) got things started in the bottom of the seventh with two outs when Mayer legged out an infield single to short. Negrych then followed with a double to right, knocking West Virginia starter Marty Fagler out of the game.
Closer Todd Dunham came in for Fagler and gave up the winning hit. Fagler took the loss, dropping to 4-2 on the season. The lefthander allowed six earned runs on eight hits, striking out five and walking four. Pitt starter Billy Muldowney gave up five runs, three earned, on eight hits to improve to 4-2 for the Panthers.
West Virginia (19-25, 5-10) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead off Muldowney. The Mountaineers plated single runs in the first and second before erupting for three in the third. The big hit was a Stan Posluszny home run to right center, his fourth home run in the last five games and his ninth of the season.
David Carpenter and Doug Nelms also hit home runs for West Virginia.
Carpenter finished the game going three for three and Posluszny added a pair of hits.
Parise and designated hitter David Cline had two hits each for Pitt in the first game. It is the second straight game West Virginia lost after entering the last inning with a lead – the Mountaineers dropped a 11-10 decision to Ohio on Wednesday.
In the nightcap, Pitt rode a brilliant outing from lefthander Robert Brant for an 11-0 victory and a twinbill sweep. Brant improved to 4-1 on the season with the complete game shutout. The freshman did not allow a run in nine innings while giving up six hits and fanning a career-high 12 batters.
Pitt took an early 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the first off WVU starter Wes Osbourn (5-3). Parise struck again with an RBI single and later scored on a passed ball.
The Panthers collected a run in both the third and fourth innings before breaking the game open with a four-run fifth. Sean Conley opened with a bunt single and Ford followed with a double that put Osbourn out of the game. Pitt touched WVU reliever Ryan Hill for three more hits to go up 8-0 after five innings.
The Panthers plated one more run in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh to total 11 runs.
Only three Mountaineers collected hits off Brant. Third baseman Justin Jenkins, outfielder Lee Fritz (two hits) and Nelms went three for four.
Sophomore catcher Carpenter called a solid game behind the plate for the Mountaineers. The Fairmont, W.Va., native held Pitt, who leads the conference in steals with 73, to only one stolen bag on Saturday.
The two teams close out the series tomorrow with a single game at Trees Field scheduled for 1 p.m.
