Baseball: Panthers drop first game of Big East tournament

Even though it held a 2-1 lead after two innings, the Pitt baseball team still lost its first… Even though it held a 2-1 lead after two innings, the Pitt baseball team still lost its first game of the Big East Tournament this morning after giving up 11 unanswered runs.

South Florida took the lead in the bottom of the third when it scored three runs, and continued pouring on the offense after that. Sam Mende’s three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth gave the Bulls a 10-run lead and ended the game. In the tournament, games with margins of 10 or more runs after seven innings are called, except for the championship game.

Starter Nate Reed pitched 5.2 innings and gave up nine runs, only seven earned, on 10 hits, walked three and struck out none. David Kaye came on in relief and finished the game, giving up three runs on one hit in two innings of work.

Kevan Smith and Cory Brownsten were the only Panthers with multiple hits, both reaching base twice. A Chris Sedon home run in the top of the first gave the Panthers their first run of the game. It was the junior’s 21st home run of the season, which ties P.J. Hiser’s 2004 total for most in a single season in school history.

Sedon might have only one more game to break the record, as another loss ends Pitt’s season.

The Panthers try to keep their season going tonight at 8 p.m. when they play West Virginia. Pitt won two-of-three from the Mountaineers last weekend.

Check www.pittnews.com to see if the Panthers kept their season alive.