Pitt
Connecticut
Baseball Drops Sixth Straight in Loss to UConn
5/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 13, 2006
PITTSBURGH - For the second consecutive day, the Pitt baseball team battled and gave the conference's second-place team all it could handle before dropping a close decision. On Saturday afternoon, it was Connecticut earning a 6-4 victory over the Panthers, all but ending Pitt's chances at qualifying for the Big East Championships.
The Panthers (19-28, 7-16 Big East) lost their sixth straight game and fourth straight Big East contest, while the Huskies (33-15-1, 15-5-1 Big East) set a school record for conference victories in a single season.
Connecticut tallied first in the top of the third inning with a single run off of Pitt starter Rob Brant (Mansfield, Pa./Mansfield). Josh Farkes was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and moved to second on a single. After a fielding error by Brant on a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases, Matt Untiet singled with one out to score Farkes.
The Panthers came right back to tie the score at 1-1 in the bottom half of the inning. With one out, Jeff Stevens (Danville, Va./Dan River/Louisburg College) doubled down the left-field line and moved to third on a single through the right side by outfielder Sean Conley (Chippewa, Pa./Blackhawk). With two outs, Jimmy Mayer (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) reached on an error by the Huskies' shortstop, allowing Stevens to score an unearned run off of UConn starter Rich Sirois.
Connecticut regained the lead with a two-run top of the fifth. Untiet upped his RBI total for the day with a towering two-run home run to right field. Pitt again answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. With one out, Stevens drew a walk and again moved up on a single through the right side by Conley. A sacrifice fly by David Cline (Mercersburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy) moved Stevens up to third base with two outs. Mayer then reached on an infield single to score Stevens again and cut the Huskies lead to 3-2. Jim Negrych (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Francis) then singled to left field for his 56th RBI of the year, scoring Conley with the tying run.
UConn again took the lead in the top of the sixth with a single run off of Brant and added another run in the eighth to make it a 5-3 game. Brant (3-8) went 7.1 innings, allowing 12 UConn hits and five earned runs and striking out four against just one walk. He was replaced by freshman Ryan Dunford (Buffalo, N.Y./Bishop Timon), but Dunford allowed a ninth-inning insurance run to push the Huskies' lead to three runs.
Pitt's final run came in the bottom of the ninth on a one-out home run to left field by Peter Parise (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman). The run batted in was Parise's 100th of his career. Sirois improved to 5-2, allowing seven hits and four runs, three of which were earned, while going the distance. He walked one and struck out five in the victory.
The three-game series finishes up tomorrow at noon at Trees Field. Including tomorrow's contest, Pitt will play five of its final six games at Trees Field.
NOTES: Negrych had a season-high nine putouts to go along with four assists defensively...junior Paul Nardozzi (Victor, N.Y./Victor) will tie the school record with his 37th career start on the mound if he gets the call as expected in tomorrow's series finale.
