Pitt
Rutgers
Rutgers Defeats Pitt, 10-5, in Series Finale
5/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 7, 2006
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Despite coming back to tie the game after being down 4-0 early, the Pitt baseball team dropped a 10-5 decision at Rutgers in the series finale on Sunday at the Class of '53 Complex in Piscataway, N.J.
The Panthers (19-24, 7-14 Big East) put themselves in a must-win situation for the last two weekends at Trees Field, where they will host second-place Connecticut and Georgetown, currently in the eighth and final spot at 9-12.
Rutgers (23-22-1, 10-11 Big East) scored four times in the bottom of the second inning off of Pitt starter Paul Nardozzi (Victor, N.Y./Victor). Steve Hook was hit by a pitch with one out and then Tim Querns drew a two-out walk to put runners on first and second. Luis Feliz was then able to single up the middle to score Hook and Jeff Grose followed with a three-run home run to right field.
The Panthers were able to get one back in the top half of the third inning. With one out, Sean Conley (Chippewa, Pa./Blackhawk) was hit by a Jim Jansen pitch and David Cline (Mercersburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy) singled to center field to move Conley to second. Another single up the middle by Jimmy Mayer (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) loaded the bases and Jim Negrych (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Francis) was able to get Conley in with a sacrifice fly for his 51st RBI of the season.
The four-run lead was restored, however, when Ryan Hill scored Todd Frazier with a sacrfice fly of his own to make it a 5-1 game. Nardozzi, who walked six batters and allowed all five runs in three-plus innings of work, was off the hook after Pitt came back with a four-run fourth inning to tie the game at 5-5.
Peter Parise (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) singled to left field and moved to third when designated hitter Rob Lawler (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Olympia) doubled down the right-field line. Dan Williams (Berwyn, Pa./Episcopal Academy) singled to right field for the Panthers' third hit in a row to score Parise and move Lawler to third. Seth Button (Elk Lake, Pa./Elk Lake/Gloucester College) grounded back to the pitcher for the first out but it scored Lawler to make it a 5-3 game in favor of the Scarlet Knights.
Conley then connected on a run-scoring single up the middle to drive in Williams and stole two bases while Cline walked. Conley would then score on a sacrifice squeeze bunt by Mayer to tie the game. Rutgers regained the lead with a single run in the bottom of the fifth when Frazier reached on an error, advanced to second on a passed ball and later scored on a bases-loaded walk by Hook off of Mike Bassage (Hornell, N.Y./Hornell).
Rutgers then picked up its seventh run in the sixth inning when Feliz stole home after Kyle Landis (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) was summoned to replace Bassage. The Scarlet Knights finished up the game's scoring with three runs in the bottom of the eighth for the 10-5 victory. Bassage was saddled with the loss to drop to 2-3 on the season and 2-1 for the week in relief.
Cline and Parise had two hits apiece for the Panthers, finishing Parise's series at 9-for-14 (.643) with six runs scored. Cline had his seventh double of the season, while Lawler's double was his fourth. The Panthers have two road non-conference games this week, playing at Akron's Canal Park - home of the AA Minor League Akron Aeros, on Tuesday, May 9, and vs. Duquesne on Wednesday, May 10. The Panthers-Dukes games on Wednesday will be played at 7 p.m. at Falconi Field - home of the Washington Wild Things.
NOTES: Negrych did drive in a run and doubled in the first inning to extend his career-best hitting streak to 17 games...Conley finished the series 6-for-11 with four runs scored, four RBIs and three stolen bases.
