Baseball: Pitt takes series against Georgetown

The Pitt baseball team won its third straight Big East series over the weekend by taking two of… The Pitt baseball team won its third straight Big East series over the weekend by taking two of three games over the Georgetown Hoyas.

The heavy rains in Washington D.C., caused the weekend series to be rescheduled to a doubleheader on Friday and then the conclusion game on Sunday.

The Panthers (21-18, 8-4 Big East) improved to 6-0 in doubleheader games this season by winning both games on Friday. After winning the series against Georgetown, Pitt remained in second place in the conference standings behind Connecticut (22-12, 10-2 Big East).

“Playing double headers are very tough, especially when you are playing two nine-inning games,” Pitt head coach Joe Jordano said. “It is a long day, but there is nothing that we do differently to prepare or execute than we do for a single game.”

But Pitt was unable to sweep the last place Hoyas (19-19, 2-10 Big East) because of Sunday’s lack of offensive production.

Pitt 15 — Georgetown 9

The Panthers’ bats exploded in the opening game of the series.

John Schultz, Zach Duggan, Kevan Smith, David Chester and Rick Devereaux all hit home runs, and Pitt started the game with three runs in the top of the first inning.

The scoring started quickly for Pitt as Duggan homered  the first at-bat of the game.

Three errors plagued the Panthers in the bottom of the first inning, allowing Georgetown to score four runs on only three hits.

Smith’s solo home run in the third inning tied the game back to four.

The Panthers pulled ahead for good in the fourth inning, though. They scored six runs, led by Devereaux’s two-run homer.

Pitt gained two more runs in the fifth and three more in the ninth.

Pitt 13 — Georgetown 4

In the second game on Friday, senior pitcher Corey Baker broke Pitt’s record for all-time wins, earning him his 22nd victory.

“We are all very pleased that Corey broke the record,” Jordano said. “It is a testament to his hard work over four years. He earned it.”

Baker will continue to add to the record as he finishes his senior season with the Panthers.

“It means a lot to me to break the record,” Baker said. “When I signed with Pitt, I never would have imagined I would leave here the all-time winning pitcher. Second to a Big East Championship, it is definitely a great accomplishment.”

The Panthers jumped out to catch an early lead, putting up five runs in the first inning that included a three-run homer by Chester.

The early five runs gave Baker the cushion he needed. Baker pitched six innings, allowing 11 hits, but held the Hoyas to only four runs, one unearned.

“Baker pitched as well Saturday as he has all year,” Jordano said. “It was good to see him getting back into his rhythm.”

Baker’s excellent pitching puts the Panthers in a position to make a run for the NCAA Tournament.

“This weekend I felt really comfortable on the mound which I hadn’t felt in my last few starts,” Baker said. “I think I just hit a midseason slump that most good players go through, and I took a step in the right direction the past weekend.”

Pitt tacked on two runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings to widen its lead over the Hoyas.

A single run in both the eighth and ninth innings was enough to increase Pitt’s run total to 13 and earn the Panthers their second victory of the weekend.

Pitt 2 — Georgetown 3

After outscoring the Hoyas by 15 total runs on Friday, the Panthers’ bats came out cold on Sunday. Pitt was held to only two runs in its only defeat of the weekend.

“We got impatient at the plate,” senior Phil Konieczny said.

“The guy was mixing up his pitches well, and we swung at some bad pitches. We need to get back to hitting our pitches and staying disciplined,” he said.

Looking for the sweep, Jordano sent freshman Ethan Mildren to the mound. Mildren pitched a complete game and allowed three runs — only one of which was earned.

“Ethan pitched a phenomenal game today,” Jordano said. “He deserved better.”

Jordano has rotated his third starter for weekend series throughout the season. Mildren got the nod this weekend.

“We switched our rotation this weekend and we will continue with it against Rutgers on a short week,” Jordano said.

With two outs in the third inning, Mildren forced a ground ball. Second baseman Travis Whitmore committed an error on the play, which allowed the Hoyas to score their first run.

The Panthers tied the game at one in the top of the sixth inning on a RBI double by Duggan, but the Hoyas reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the sixth with a single to left field.

Pitt tied the game again in the top of the seventh on Konieczny’s sacrifice fly to score Whitmore.

With two outs and Mildren still pitching in the ninth inning, Pitt appeared to be set up to send the game into extra innings.

But Mildren allowed a single and then hit a batter. A double to left field brought in the winning run to put an end to the Panthers’ extra-innings hopes.

“We obviously did not swing it as well today as we did on Friday, but that is the nature of this game,” Jordano said. “Georgetown’s starter did a good job keeping us off balance and they got a few timely hits. That was the difference.”

Pitt faces Youngstown State tomorrow in a nonconference matchup at the Petersen Sports Complex. After that, the Panthers will remain at home to take on Rutgers in a three-game series stretching from Thursday to Saturday.