Baseball: Rain shortens series with Connecticut, teams split double-header

Panthers baseball hoped to take the top spot in the Big East this weekend, but the team never… Panthers baseball hoped to take the top spot in the Big East this weekend, but the team never had a real chance.

The rain shortened the Panthers’ series against top-ranked Connecticut, and the teams split a Saturday doubleheader before the finale was canceled on Sunday because of rain.

This was Pitt’s biggest series of the season to date, and it held serve against one of the top teams in the country, increasing the Panthers’ chances of getting an NCAA Tournament berth.

The No. 24 Panthers (31-11, 13-4 Big East) lost the first game 11-7 as junior pitcher Corey Baker had an uncharacteristically poor start, giving up eight runs on 12 hits in five innings.

But, despite being down 8-1, a four-run rally in the sixth helped put Pitt back in the game. Consecutive doubles by Cory Brownsten, Zach Duggan and John Schultz, followed by a Joe Leonard triple, made it 8-5, ending Huskies ace Elliot Glynn’s day early.

Despite scoring two more runs, the Panthers’ rally fell short as No. 13 Connecticut (35-9, 14-3 Big East) added three more. Yet, Pitt Coach Joe Jordano was encouraged with the offense’s performance in the loss.

“I thought we did a solid job against Connecticut. Glynn was tough and we were a little impatient early in the game, but once we settled down, we put up some runs,” he said. “We just got behind in the game and could not catch up.”

Yet, in game two, Pitt never had to catch up as it jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead after two innings on its way to a 13-4 win.

Everyone in the lineup collected at least one hit. Duggan went 3 for 5 with four RBIs while hitting his second homerun of the season. Leonard continued his All-American-type season scoring three runs and going 3 for 5 to raise his Big East-leading batting average to .452.

“Game two we did a good job against (Connecticut pitcher Greg) Nappo,” Jordano said. “Connecticut has the best ERA in the conference and to put up 20 runs in two games is a solid day.”

Meanwhile, sophomore pitcher Matt Iannazzo held the Huskies in check as he pitched a complete game giving up nine hits with four strikeouts.

“Matt pounds the zone and pitches to contact,” Jordano said. “He has a great defense behind him and he lets them do their job. He generally throws three pitches for strikes and mixes those pitches well.”

First baseman David Chester hit two home runs, giving him 10 this season to lead the team.

The rainout on Sunday allowed Louisville to jump a half game ahead of Pitt into second place in the Big East as they swept Rutgers.

But no matter where the Panthers find themselves in the standings, their mentality won’t change as they head into some pressure-packed games late in the seasons.

“As we have said all year, we approach every game with the same mindset,” Jordano said. “We play our game to the best of our abilities each day. We will continue that approach this week and until the last game of the season.”

The Panthers will host Akron today at 6 p.m. at Trees Field. This weekend they will travel to Seton Hall for a three-game series.