Baseball: Panthers pick up first and second Big East victories

Looking for their first conference win of the season, the Panthers traveled to Ohio to take on… Looking for their first conference win of the season, the Panthers traveled to Ohio to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in a three-game series.

The Panthers (13-12, 2-4 Big East) lost the first three games of their Big East season but began to find their rhythm after a slow start on the weekend. On the opposing side, Cincinnati was also looking for its first Big East win of the season.

Cincinnati 2, Pitt 0

Pitt turned to its senior left-hander Matt Iannazzo for the Thursday evening game.

The Bearcats (10-15, 1-5 Big East) got on the board in the fourth inning when a runner scored on a groundout to the shortstop for what would be the game-winning run.

Pitt tallied nine hits in the game but couldn’t lump them together. Throughout the evening, the Panthers had only two innings in which they didn’t get a hit.

“The left-hander for them pitched really well — had us a little bit off-balance,” Pitt manager Joe Jordano said. “We had our opportunities. We had runners in scoring position in a couple of those innings but just couldn’t get the big hit. On the other side, they did.”

Iannazzo’s pitching kept the struggling Pitt offense in the game. He finished the day with two earned runs in seven and a third innings, allowing 10 hits.

“The pitching did great this weekend and gave us a chance to win each game,” sophomore outfielder Casey Roche said. “The first game, we just didn’t come through when we needed to. But thanks to pitching, we were still in the game to the end.”

Down 1-0 in the seventh inning, Pitt put together its best chance at a comeback. After recording two outs, junior shortstop Evan Oswald and sophomore outfielder Stephen Vranka singled back-to-back. Senior designated hitter Anthony Defabio, third on the team with a .344 average, flew out to left field, ending the best chance for the team.

“The first game was tough because Iannazzo pitched so well,” senior first baseman Rick Devereaux said. “The kid facing us did a good job, and we just couldn’t find a way to score runs. It happens, but we have to try and avoid it.”

Cincinnati added an insurance run in the seventh inning to bring the final tally to 2-0.

Pitt 6, Cincinnati 0

Sophomore pitcher Ethan Mildren pitched a complete-game shutout to earn the first conference win for the Panthers. He allowed only four hits and one walk in his nine innings and struck out seven batters.

The offense came through with six runs to match Mildren’s quality day on the mound to notch one of the best all-around games of the season for Jordano’s club.

“Obviously, Ethan pitched spectacular today. He had all his pitches working for him,” Jordano said. “We played great defense behind him and got some clutch hits. I was very pleased. We’ve been so close so many times, and I hope this will propel us to some big wins in the next few weeks.”

Devereaux knocked a single up the middle as part of the three-hit first inning, scoring Vranka, who started the game with a double.

“It’s always a great feeling getting an early lead,” Mildren said. “It sets the tone for the rest of the game.”

Defabio scored after being hit by a pitch and advancing on a wild pitch in the third inning when Devereaux singled him in. Devereaux leads the Panthers with 34 runs batted in on the season. His .418 batting average is also the team’s best.

Freshman outfielder Boo Vazquez also singled in the sixth inning to drive in Roche and open the game to three runs over the Bearcats.

With Mildren on the mound, the Panthers added three runs in the top of the ninth, setting the sophomore up for plenty of cushion to earn his complete game.

Pitt recorded only one hit in the top of the last frame. Sophomore Derik Wilson came in to play second base in the eighth for a defensive upgrade and connected on a two-RBI single in the ninth.

Mildren got Cincinnati to ground in to the game-ending double play and picked up the first conference win of the season.

“It is huge to get that first Big East win under our belt,” Mildren said. “It takes a lot of pressure off of us, and we can play the game more relaxed, without pressing as much.”

Pitt 10, Cincinnati 9 (11 innings)

Freshman catcher Elvin Soto drilled in the eventual game-winning home run at the top of the 11th to earn the one-run victory for the Panthers.

“Skip told me to have the best at-bat of the day,” he said. “I was looking to get on base with a walk or a single, but I got a pitch I could drive and just took it a long way.”

With pitching dominating the first two games of the series, the bats looked to take over in the third game. But early on, Cincinnati was the only team to show up.

The Bearcats got to Pitt sophomore starter Matt Wotherspoon with three runs in the first, forcing Jordano to pull him after the Panthers recorded two outs. The starter gave up three hits and two walks to the seven batters he faced.

Junior Alex Caravella pitched the next two innings and also struggled, allowing two runs on four hits. Wilson, who went 3-6 on the day, singled Soto home in the second to get the Panthers on the board, but they trailed 5-1 following the third inning.

The Panthers got back into the game after the sixth inning. After scoring two runs in the fifth on a two-RBI home run by Roche, they exploded for five runs in the sixth.

“We swung the bats well, especially in this last game,” Defabio said. “We just need to stay aggressive on our approach. That’s when we’re best.”

Defabio headlined the big sixth inning with a double down the left-field line, scoring Vranka and Wilson.

With a 9-7 lead going into the bottom of the eighth, Pitt sophomore J.R. Leonardi gave up two runs and allowed the Bearcats back into the game after the Panthers had already succeeded once at a comeback.

Freshman Tanner Wilt came in to earn the final out of the eighth inning and went on to pitch 3.1 innings for the Panthers. He picked up his first win, allowing no hits and shutting the door on Cincinnati in the 11th after Soto’s game-winning homer.

“Our team is one unit,” Devereaux said. “Our bullpen did a great job today, and we were able to find a way to win.”

Pitt, after finally picking up some momentum with Saturday’s win, carried it over to a big victory on Sunday to win the second series of its Big East schedule.

“We had the momentum our way after the win and brought it into the next game,” Mildren said. “We fought through it to pull out another win and clinched the series.”