Strong pitching performances gave the Panthers a solid start to their season this weekend,… Strong pitching performances gave the Panthers a solid start to their season this weekend, helping them to win two of three games at the Big East/Big Ten Challenge in Clearwater, Fla.

The Panthers went 2-1 with wins against Illinois and Iowa, followed by a loss to Purdue on Sunday.

Senior Corey Baker took the mound for the Panthers on Friday and picked up where he left off last year.

“I started off the game trying to throw my off-speed pitches to get ahead and wanted to keep their hitters off balance,” Baker said. “I really focused in on keeping their speed guys off the bases and putting the pressure on the hitters.”

Baker pitched six innings surrendering only one run and was pulled after the sixth inning in the 10-6 win over Illinois.

Baker is one member of a Panthers pitching duo. Matt Iannazzo, who started in the win on Saturday over Iowa, was a 10-win pitcher in 2010 along with Baker.

“We don’t use labels, such as ‘ace’ or ‘No. 1,’ we simply analyze our staff and choose our rotation based on what is best for our team,” Pitt head coach Joe Jordano said in an email following Friday’s game.

“Corey got the nod again this year. Matt will go [Saturday] in an attempt to win the 3-game series,” he said.

Iannazzo threw six innings for the Panthers on Saturday, although he didn’t pick up the win. He let up seven hits and two runs while racking up five strikeouts before his team beat Iowa 3-2 in 11 innings.

“I thought both Corey and Matt did not have their best stuff on Friday or Saturday,” Jordano said. “But both absolutely competed big time and gave us a chance to win both games. It was a solid start for each.”

The pitchers who played for the Panthers on Sunday had much less experience — two freshmen took the mound for the first time in Pitt uniforms. The Panthers failed to sweep the weekend with a 5-3 loss to Purdue on Sunday.

“I thought we pitched well [on Sunday.] It was Ethan Mildren’s first collegiate start as well as Matt Wotherspoon’s first time on the bump,” Jordano said. “We had our opportunities in a few innings to gain a solid lead but we came up short.”

Pitt 10, Illinois 6

On Friday, Pitt’s offense found its rhythm in the fifth inning. After being shut out until that point, the Panthers exploded for 10 runs in the inning.

Zach Duggan and Ronald Sucre began the inning with key bunts, something that Jordano believes every player in his lineup can do.

“I believe we do a great job of understanding situational ABs [at-bats],” Jordano said. “If a bunt is called for, anyone in the lineup is capable and prepared to execute it.”

David Chester, a Pitt senior, cleared the bases with a triple to left center field.  He went 3-for-4 on the day.

“David is a big piece of our offense — he is strong and has a great feel at the plate,” Jordano said. “I expect David to have a very productive year.”

Pitt 3, Iowa 2

Saturday’s offense was less potent but the Panthers took advantage of mistakes by Iowa in the seventh inning to score two runs.

The only earned run for the Panthers came in the 11th inning when Sucre collected the only extra base hit — a double — and was driven in by a base hit from Duquesne transfer Anthony Defabio.

Pitching, on the other hand, was dominant for the Panthers in Saturday night’s marathon game.

Ray Black came in for the Panthers in the ninth inning to protect Iannazzo’s lead and got his team out of two situations with the bases full without allowing a run.

Black’s work in the ninth and 10th innings sets him up to be a potent closer for the Panthers this season, but Jordano has yet to decide what his role will be this year.

“The idea going into the season is to use Ray in that role [closer], but as you know, you have to have a lead in order to preserve it,” he said. “We will continue to increase Ray’s pitch count throughout the next 3-4 weeks and he may be an option as a starter once the conference season rolls around.”

Freshman Casey Roche came in and retired the Hawkeyes consecutively in the 11th inning to give the Panthers their second win.

Purdue 5, Pitt 3

Sunday’s game looked to be the most difficult for the Panthers against a tough Purdue squad that had knocked off a ranked Connecticut team on Friday.

The third starter in the Panthers staff, Mildren, still pitched a solid game on Sunday. He allowed four runs, one being unearned.

Mildren struggled early in his first start allowing two runs on three hits in the first inning. He settled in until the sixth when two more runners crossed the plate.

The Panthers made a late-inning attempt to win the game by putting two runners on base for Chester to try his heroics again.

This time, he grounded into a fielder’s choice play to end the series.

Despite a bitter ending, the Panthers had a productive weekend in Florida. Pitt picked up two wins and gained valuable experience for some key freshmen.

“It was a solid start. I could not have asked for a situation that five or six freshmen got a chance to gain some experience. In that regard it was great,” Jordano said. “The baseball was very competitive. Very well-played games.”