Pitt baseball drops two, wins one over weekend

In any sport, opening day comes with expectations and confidence. Then, of course, there’s… In any sport, opening day comes with expectations and confidence. Then, of course, there’s uncertainty. That was the case for the Pitt baseball team as it prepared to play in the Service Academies Spring Classic last weekend in Millington, Tenn. For the Pitt coaching staff, expectations are always high. ‘We expect every year to be in the top half of the Big East Conference and participate in the playoffs,’ said Pitt coach Joe Jordano. ‘This will give us an opportunity to take our program to the next level by participating in the NCAA Tournament. That expectation will not change, and we will work extremely hard to accomplish that goal.’ The team’s first opportunity came against Bradley. Pitt watched Bradley send seven batters to the plate after opening the game with three scoreless innings. Bradley senior outfielder Grant Escue hit a home run over the right field wall to give the Braves a 4-0 lead. They added another run to end the fourth inning, testing Pitt’s resilience. In the fifth inning, the Panthers clawed back into contention with help from sophomore outfielder John Schultz. He got two RBIs, helping Pitt cut the lead to two. Then, trailing 8-6 going into the ninth inning, the Panthers rallied. Junior outfielder Manoli Pahoulis started things off with a walk before Schultz tripled, sending Pahoulis home and cutting the lead to one. A wild pitch allowed Schultz to score the tying run, sending the game to extra innings. In the 10th, Bradley prevailed with an RBI single down the line and defeated the Panthers 9-8. After the loss, Pitt bounced back with a 10-9 victory over Air Force. The high-scoring game started with a strong first inning for Pitt, as it knocked in four runs. Three more in the seventh proved too much for Air Force to handle, and Pitt walked away with the win. Leading the way for the Panthers were sophomore infielder Joe Leonard, who went 3-of-5 on the day with an RBI and a run, and junior catcher Cory Brownsten, who drove in three runs. Pitt closed the weekend with a loss against Navy 3-1 after jumping to a 1-0 lead, bringing the Panthers’ record to 1-2 this season.