Baseball postseason hopes still hanging on

The Pitt baseball team is still alive.

Despite dropping two of three over the weekend… The Pitt baseball team is still alive.

Despite dropping two of three over the weekend against Connecticut (33-16-1 overall, 15-6-1 Big East), the Panthers sit two games behind South Florida and the eighth and final spot in the Big East Tournament.

Pitt (20-28, 8-16) lost the first two games of the series, but pulled out an 11-9 victory over the Huskies in game three, delivering UConn pitcher Nick Tucci his first loss of the season.

The Panthers travel to Ohio State today for a matchup with the Buckeyes before hosting the Georgetown Hoyas for their final Big East series and their last effort for a shot at postseason play.

UConn 5, Pitt 4

UConn’s Tim Norton, one of the conference’s top pitchers, held the Panthers scoreless through seven innings for a 2-0 Huskies lead.

The two-run advantage stayed until the bottom of the ninth inning when Pitt first baseman Seth Button homered for the second consecutive game to tie everything up at two runs apiece.

The Huskies, however, scored three runs in their half of the 10th inning before freshman reliever Kyle Landis could record one out.

Pitt plated two runs in the bottom of the 10th on a Morgan Kielty single, but failed to score another, stranding runners on second and third to end the game when Rob Lawler grounded out.

Billy Muldowney pitched nine innings for the Panthers, allowing two runs on 10 hits, while striking out eight and walking one.

UConn 6, Pitt 4

The 6-4 win in game two of the series gave the Huskies a record for most conference wins in a season at 15.

UConn starter Rich Sirois went the distance for the win, allowing four runs on seven hits to improve to 5-2 on the year. He walked one and struck out five in his nine innings of work.

The Huskies captured the lead for good in the sixth inning when Pitt’s Robert Brant gave up his final run before being relieved by freshman Ryan Dunford. Dunford allowed a run in the eighth as well as another insurance run in the ninth for a three-run Huskies lead.

Peter Parise smacked a solo home run in the ninth to bring the Panthers within two, while collecting the 100th RBI of his career. UConn held the Panthers there, though, and escaped with the series-clinching win.

Pitt 11, UConn 9

Jim Negrych and Sean Conley combined to go 4-for-7 with four walks, six RBIs and three runs scored as the Panthers posted 11 runs on the board for an 11-9 victory over the previously unbeaten Tucci.

The Panthers started early in the first inning when Negrych drew the first of his walks and scored on a Jimmy Mayer double.

UConn took the lead in the top of the second inning with two runs, but the Panthers’ bats responded with a bang.

Jeff Stevens tied the game at two with a bases-loaded single before David Cline knocked in two more with a single of his own. Negrych cleared the bases later in the inning with his 11th homer of the season — a three-run dinger for a 7-2 Pitt lead.

The Huskies forced Pitt starter Paul Nardozzi out of the game in the fourth inning after cutting the lead to one at 7-6.

Pitt, however, scored the eventual game-winning run in the fifth inning when Conley doubled to left-center field, clearing the loaded bases for a 10-6 lead. Justin Cicatello recorded the win for Pitt, pitching 5.2 innings in relief.