Baseball: Mountaineers Fall to Pitt
May 14, 2009 07:33 PM | General
May 14, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team fell victim to the long ball as Pitt won game one, 9-1, on Thursday evening at Trees Field in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Mountaineers’ record falls to 35-15 overall, 16-9 in the BIG EAST. Pitt improved to 27-18 overall and 12-12 in league action.
Jarryd Summers went 4.2 innings for the Mountaineers, striking out seven. Summers upped his season strike out total to 92, which is the 10th most in a season in program history. The Sharpsville, Pa., native passed Shane Rhodes, who fanned 89 batters in 2001.
WVU had its best opportunity in the sixth inning to cut into its 3-0 deficit. Austin Markel got the offense going with a single up the middle and Jedd Gyorko followed that with another single. Vince Belnome grounded back to the pitcher, but it was enough to shift Markel and Gyorko up and into scoring position. Dan DiBartolomeo drew a walk to the load the bases for Tobias Streich. A Johnsonburg, Pa., native, Streich blasted a shot up the middle that looked as though it was going to get through, but Pitt’s second baseman Chris Sedon made a diving stop and gunned Streich out at first base to end the threat.
The Mountaineers found themselves in the same situation in the ninth frame. Dan DiBartolomeo registered his only hit of the game to lead off the inning. Streich sent a shot up the middle and Grant Buckner loaded the bases with the third single of the inning. After Joe Agreste struck out, Colin Durborow laced a shot to the shortstop, Chris Tonte, who mishandled it, allowing DiBartolomeo to score. That was all the Mountaineers could get though as Justin Parks grounded into a game-ending 5-4-3 double play.
Seven Mountaineers recorded hits, including Gyorko, Buckner and Durborow, who finished the contest with two hits apiece. Durborow tallied his 13th RBI in the loss.
DiBartolomeo finished the game 1-for-3 and is now batting .426 on the season. He is only four points away from tying Bob Bernardo, who recorded a .430 average in 1984, for the highest season batting average in program history (minimum of 100 at-bats).
Pitt’s Nate Reed tossed nine shutout innings and struck out seven for the win. Chris Tonte and Chris Sedon led the Panther offense with two home runs apiece and combined for five RBIs. Pitt tallied five home runs on the day, which is tied for a season-worst by the Mountaineer pitching staff.
The second game of the series at Pitt is scheduled for Friday, May 15. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
