Baseball getting runs, getting run over

Sometimes merely scoring a lot of runs won’t win you a baseball game.

The Pitt baseball… Sometimes merely scoring a lot of runs won’t win you a baseball game.

The Pitt baseball team learned exactly that over the past week.

The Panthers (19-24, 7-14 Big East) scored a total of 47 runs in their five-game road trip, but were only able to muster two wins after claiming four victories in their previous five games.

Pitt started its week last Tuesday with a futile comeback attempt in the final innings in a loss to Kent State, but rebounded with a close victory at Cleveland State the next day. The Panthers then traveled to Piscataway, N.J., where they would drop two of three to conference foe Rutgers.

Kent State 17, Pitt 14

It wasn’t nearly as close as the score indicates. The Golden Flashes came out blasting in the first inning, rocking starter Billy Muldowney for three runs on three hits including a two-run home run from designated hitter Todd Badulf.

Pitt tried to stop the bleeding by yanking Muldowney in the second for Rob Brant, but the sophomore couldn’t solve the puzzle either, allowing five Kent State runs in just 1.2 innings of work.

The Panthers continued to scramble for a pitching solution, plugging in junior Paul Nardozzi for Brant in the third, but again the switch proved futile.

The Golden Flashes hit Nardozzi six times for six runs, four of which came off two homers, to put the Panthers down 14-1 after the third inning. Kent State extended its lead to 15 runs before the Panther bats woke up in the bottom of the eighth.

Pitt scored four runs in the eighth, and exploded for nine in the ninth including homers from Brian Muldowney, Edgard Sucre and Jim Negrych, but the rally fell short before Pitt could go ahead.

Pitt 11, Cleveland State 8

Head coach Joe Jordano’s Panthers bounced back from the loss the very next day.

The score was tied at one through the first four innings before Pitt took the lead with three runs off CSU’s Josh Hungerman in the top of the fifth. Pitt’s Sean Conley blasted his first home run of the season, scoring Dan Williams. Negrych singled later in the inning to score Jimmy Mayer to open the Panther lead to three.

It wouldn’t be long, however, before the Vikings closed the gap. Pitt’s Mike Bassage allowed two runs in the bottom of the inning to bring CSU within one.

The scoring halted before the seventh inning in which the Panthers, led by leadoff doubles from Jeff Stevens and Conley to spark a four-run inning. Conley doubled again in the eighth along with David Cline before Mayer and Negrych cleaned the bases to put the Panthers ahead to survive a late Viking rally and hold on for the victory.

Pitt 12, Rutgers 11

Pitt’s near-patented late-inning rally worked this time. The Panthers scored eight runs over the final two innings to fight past the Scarlet Knights for a much needed victory.

The Panthers started the scoring early, though. Negrych homered with two outs in the first inning to give Pitt a temporary lead before Rutgers tied it in the bottom of the inning.

Pitt scored twice in the second to lead through four and a half and would allow Rutgers to come within one, leading 4-3 after seven.

Then the real fun started.

Pitt exploded for six runs off three Rutgers pitchers in the top of the eighth to notch a 10-3 lead. Rutgers retaliated strong in the bottom of the inning, though, with seven runs of their own off starter Muldowney, Kyle Landis and Bassage.

Pitt regained the lead in the ninth when Peter Parise, who was 5-for-5 on the day, scored on a balk and Jeff Stevens on a fielder’s choice to put Pitt ahead for good.

Rutgers 15, Pitt 9

Pitt continued to produce at the plate, but again weak pitching let the Scarlet Knights prevail.

Negrych ignited the Panthers with a grand slam in the second, placing him fourth on Pitt’s all-time home run leaders list with 32. Pitt would lead 6-0 after two innings.

Rutgers had an answer. The Scarlet Knights tagged starter Brant and reliever Ryan Dunford for eight runs, five unearned in the second and third innings for an 8-6 lead.

Rutgers ripped five more in the seventh after Pitt had tied the game to go ahead for good. Scarlet Knights reliever Ryan Bradley finished Pitt off and got the win.

The Panthers out hit Rutgers 17-9, but three errors and six walks did Jordano’s team in.

Rutgers 10, Pitt 5

Pitt dug itself a four-run hole early and, despite tying the game in the fourth, could not capture the lead and dropped the game and the series to the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers rocked starter Nardozzi for five runs in three innings, four coming in the second including Scarlet Knight Jeff Grose’s three-run knock. The teams traded runs in the third, and Rutgers maintained their four-run lead.

But the Panthers bailed out Nardozzi with four runs of their own in the fourth inning to tie the game at 5.

That was as close at Pitt would get. Reliever Bassage walked in the winning run in the fifth and Rutgers tallied four more off Landis in the next three innings.

Pitt only has two in-conference series left, and must win each of them for a chance at a Big East Tournament berth at the end of the month.