Panthers drenched to complete season

Joe Leonard didn’t seem to mind that he constantly had to hit in bad weather last week.

His… Joe Leonard didn’t seem to mind that he constantly had to hit in bad weather last week.

His 11 hits and four home runs in five games speak to that.

In fact, scoring was at a premium for Pitt’s baseball team as the season’s final week wound down.

Unfortunately, the rainy conditions that continue to sweep through Pittsburgh brought more losses than wins to the Panthers.

Pitt finalized a rough season by losing four out of five contests, including a sweep at the hands of Big East rival Connecticut.

Pitt (19-34, 8-20 Big East) forged a victory at Cleveland State last Wednesday in its only road affair of the week. The Panthers fell at home to Akron as well.

Leonard’s outstanding stretch more than doubled his home run total on the season, giving him seven.

The torrid ending pushed Leonard’s average to a team-leading .335 mark.

Saturday’s Senior Day honored five Panthers, pitchers Rob Brant and Brian Chrisman, outfielder Sean Conley, catcher Nick Mullins and infielder Dan Williams.

Akron 4, Pitt 2

Akron’s Kurt Davidson hit two home runs to sink the Panthers in a showdown between non-conference foes.

Davidson’s first homer in the first inning put the Zips ahead 2-0.

A double in the second inning added a run to Pitt’s deficit, but Zach Duggan singled home Leonard in the bottom of the inning to make it 3-1.

Davidson smashed another home run in the fifth, giving him three RBIs on the day.

Duggan scored on a passed ball in the sixth, but that was the final run Pitt could muster.

Pitt 4, Cleveland State 2

Rain halted this contest after five innings, but Pitt’s early offensive attack was enough to stuff Cleveland State.

Leonard’s first home run of the week was a three-run blast in the first inning for a 3-0 Pitt advantage.

Mullins hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth to push another run across, but Cleveland State answered with one run each in the fourth and fifth innings.

Leonard finished the game on the mound, recording the final out.

Connecticut Series

The Panthers lost a few tough games to Connecticut, falling by scores of 14-10, 6-5 and 7-5, respectively.

There was no shortage of runs in the series, but rain again affected the events. Friday’s game was washed away, forcing a doubleheader on the season’s final day.

Leonard blasted a home run in each game of the series and had a 4-for-5 day at the plate in Thursday’s 14-10 offensive display.

That game was muddied with five Panther errors, leading to seven unearned runs by the Huskies.

Connecticut’s five-run fifth inning in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader dismantled Pitt’s momentum from a 4-0 lead. The Huskies’ Mike Olt crushed a grand slam to pace the frame.

Olt hit another homer for the Huskies in a three-run seventh inning.

Pitt fought back from a 7-3 deficit, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a double by Morgan Kielty, cutting Connecticut’s lead to two.

But the pesky rain returned, halting the game and Pitt’s season with a loss.