Baseball: With weekend sweep, Pitt improves to 5-1

The Pitt baseball team continued its early season success by sweeping all three of its games… The Pitt baseball team continued its early season success by sweeping all three of its games in the Armed Services Classic in Memphis, Tenn., this past weekend to improve to 5-1.

Led by junior pitcher Corey Baker’s strong performance on the mound, the Panthers won a 3-2 game against Bradley on Friday. He allowed just two runs on seven hits with no walks and four strikeouts in 7.2 innings of work.

Pitt was being shut out through the first four innings but broke out for a three-run fifth inning. Junior third baseman Joe Leonard knocked in two runs while catcher Cory Brownsten finished the game 3-for-4.

In the second game of the series, Pitt needed another big inning to win. Trailing 8-5 going into the ninth, the Panthers led off the inning with back-to-back singles by John Schultz and Leonard, who came around to score with one out after a Travis Whitmore triple to cut the score to 8-7.

A Phil Konieczny fielder’s choice to third brought Whitmore home to tie the game ,and Konieczny reached second on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Kevan Smith singled home the go-ahead run and Pitt kept the Tigers off the board in the bottom of the inning to preserve the win.

Leonard, with three hits, and Whitmore, with four, led the way offensively as each scored two runs and collected three RBIs.

In the final game, Pitt blew by Toledo 11-3. Leonard continued his hot hitting with two more hits and RBIs on his way to being named tournament MVP. Danny Lopez had three hits whereas Smith and Zach Duggan each had two.

Senior pitcher Nathan Hood earned the win, giving up three runs on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts in seven innings to pick up his first win of the season.

Pitt is on the road again this weekend when it travels to Conway, S.C., for games against Albany and Ball State on Friday, Coastal Carolina on Saturday and Toledo on Sunday.