Pitt
Niagara
Pittsburgh Baseball Falls 6-5 To Niagara
5/10/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 10, 2001
NIAGARA, N.Y.--For the second straight day, Pittsburgh's baseball team dropped a one-run heartbreaker as it fell to Niagara 6-5 Thursday afternoon. The Panthers, who fell to Akron 3-2 on Wednesday, surrendered a one-run by giving up one run in each of the last two innings to slip to 16-26 overall.
Leading 5-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, Pittsburgh gave up a lead-off home run to senior Chris Zent, knotting the game at 5-5. The Purple Eagles scored the winning run in the ninth on an error by Panther second baseman Scott Folmar (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg).
Despite pitching the final 5.2 innings and giving up just four hits, freshman Jeff Barnyak (Sandy Ridge, Pa./Philipsburg-Osceola) suffered the loss for Pittsburgh. Barnyak gave up two runs (one earned) and struck out three batters in relief of starting pitcher Don Rhoten (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic), who tossed the first three innings.
Junior Tony Railing (Dallas, Texas/F.M. Marcus) and sophomores Brant Colamarino (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) and Folmar each notched two hits apiece for Pittsburgh, while Folmar scored three of the five Panther runs.
Niagara grabbed a three-run lead in the first inning and opened up a 4-1 advantage after three innings. Pittsburgh plated one run in the fifth and three more in sixth to take its only lead. In the fifth, Colamarino singled home Folmar, who led off the inning with a walk. In the three-run sixth inning, freshman Bryan Spamer (Harrisburg, Pa./Redland) highlighted the frame with a two-run double to right field.
The Panthers close out their season this weekend as they host Virginia Tech at Trees Field in a three-game series.
