Pitt drops series to ‘Nova

With the number of games left on the Big East schedule starting to dwindle, the Pitt… With the number of games left on the Big East schedule starting to dwindle, the Pitt baseball team needed a series win or sweep to keep itself in position to grab one of the playoff spots for the Big East postseason tournament.

The Panthers (13-20 overall, 4-11 Big East) took the series opener, but dropped the final two games of the series by identical 6-3 scores.

“We’re not putting all aspects of the game together on the same day,” head coach Joe Jordano said. “From our vantage point, the one thing we have to do is play a better [all-around] baseball game.”

Pitt 9, Villanova 5

Villanova got on the board first in the series opener, scoring four runs in an inning highlighted by a three-run homer from Joe Rosati.

Things would stay that way until the top of the third, when the Panthers tied a team record with three triples in one inning. David Cline, Dan Williams and Rob Lawler all tripled, and the Panthers scored five times in the frame to take the lead.

Pitt starter Billy Muldowney allowed just one run in the fourth over the rest of his seven innings of work.

“Billy was making his first complete start since Notre Dame,” Jordano pointed out. Muldowney started the series opener against St. John’s, but the game was postponed because of rain. “He was a little bit rusty, but he settled down and did a good job.”

The Panthers answered in their next at bat when Jeff Stevens drove in Peter Parise, giving the Panthers a 6-5 lead.

Pitt built on its score in the ninth. After loading the bases with one out, the team used a walk, a hit batter and a balk to score three last runs and stretch the final to 9-5.

Kyle Landis threw two scoreless innings of relief for Muldowney, striking out four on the way to his first collegiate save. Jordano pointed out that as Landis has been throwing his curveball effectively and working on a changeup to improve his regimen, he has only improved.

“Kyle’s really coming on,” the coach said. “He’s one of the few bright spots right now. He’s throwing a lot of strikes