May 10, 2008
Box Score
PITTSBURGH--The Pitt baseball team continued its three-game series with Notre Dame Saturday afternoon at Frank Eck Stadium. After suffering a hard fought, extra-inning loss to the Irish yesterday, the Panthers bounced back with a 5-3 victory to tie the series at one game a piece.
Senior pitcher Rob Brant (Mansfield, Pa./Mansfield), Pitt's all-time strike out leader, registered 6.1 solid innings of work, allowing Notre Dame just three runs off of three hits. He did surrender the first two runs of the game, however, as the Irish posted tallies in the second and third frames. Pitt answered with three consecutive one-run innings in the fourth through the sixth to take a 3-2 lead, its first of the afternoon.
Notre Dame knotted the contest at 3-3 with a Jeremy Barnes solo shot over the left field wall. The deadlock would not last long, as Zach Duggan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) kick started the game-winning rally by reaching base on an error by the Irish shortstop. Danny Lopez (Queens, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) immediately followed the error with single to right field that put runners on first and second. Senior Sean Conley (Chippewa, Pa./Blackhawk), Pitt's most dangerous offensive threat, then stepped into the batter's box and ripped a double down the right field line, scoring Duggan and giving the Panthers' the lead for good. Dan Williams (Berwyn, Pa./Episcopal Academy) then added an insurance run with a groundout to second that allowed both runners to advance.
Brant picked up the victory, while Conley finished the day 3-4 from the plate.
Pitt and Notre Dame will return to action tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. in South Bend, Ind.