Baseball: Pitt wins 2 of 3 at Wofford

The Pitt baseball team won two of three games in its season opening series at Wofford this… The Pitt baseball team won two of three games in its season opening series at Wofford this past weekend. In the first game of the series, an 18-6 win, junior third baseman Joe Leonard went 2 for 6 with three runs and six RBIs.

His performance was highlighted by a third inning grand slam to cap a seven-run inning. Junior pitcher and ace of the staff, Corey Baker picked up the win, going seven innings while allowing five runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts. Junior Cole Taylor came in on relief to pitch two perfect innings and preserve the win.

Taylor might eventually be used as a starter this year as well, especially with more outings like the one on Friday. “He’s shown he did pretty good relieving but I think if he keeps on going he should be a starter here shortly,” Leonard said of his teammate. In the second game of the series Leonard continued his hot hitting, going 3-of-4 with three RBIs.

The Panthers had a slim 4-3 lead in the eighth inning but clutch hitting by Leonard and junior catcher Kevan Smith with two outs led to three insurance runs and a 7-3 win. “Our coaches stress two-out hits a lot. Every day in practice we work on it,” Leonard said. “Especially when there’s runners on you have to hit the ball hard somewhere and get the job done. Pitt received another strong pitching performance in the game as sophomore Matt Iannazzo gave up five runs on two hits with seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

Looking for the sweep in the third game of the series, the Panthers came up just short, losing 9-8 in 10 innings. Heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Terriers trailed 6-2 but burst out for a six-run inning to take a two-run lead. A two-run home run in the eighth inning by the Panthers’ Zach Duggan — also with two outs — tied the game, ultimately sending it into extra innings. Pitt will travel to Memphis, Tenn., this weekend to play Bradley, Memphis and Toledo in the Armed Services Spring Baseball Classic.