Panthers get lost in the Red Storm

Coming into this weekend’s three-game series with the St. John’s Red Storm, the Pitt baseball… Coming into this weekend’s three-game series with the St. John’s Red Storm, the Pitt baseball team was in a rut. Head coach Joe Jordano’s team needed to snap an eight-game losing streak and try to build some momentum against the rolling Red Storm.

The Panthers (12-18, 3-9 Big East) managed to do one of the two. After dropping the first game of the series, Pitt battled back to end the skid at nine on Saturday. The Red Storm (21-8, 8-1) prevailed on Sunday, however, winning the matinee and taking the series two games to one.

St. John’s 6, Pitt 2

Pitt started its in-conference series with the Red Storm Friday night, and it was the Panthers that got started quickly.

In the bottom of the first, second baseman Jim Negrych doubled off St. John’s Rob Delaney and scored on the next at-bat off a Morgan Kielty single to give Pitt an early 1-0 lead.

It wouldn’t last long, however.

In the second inning, Chris Joachim sparked the Red Storm bats with a single off Panther right-hander Bill Muldowney. After striking out the next two batters, Muldowney hit Jeff Grantham to put two runners on.

With two outs, Joachim and Grantham both advanced on a wild pitch before scoring when Chris Anninos singled.

The score was 2-1 in favor of the Red Storm when the game was called in the fourth inning Friday because of severe weather.

When the game resumed on Saturday afternoon, neither starter took the mound. In 4.1 innings pitched, Muldowney struck out six and allowed two runs, both earned, before redshirt freshman Kyle Landis relieved him.

Landis wouldn’t provide much relief for the Panthers, however. Pitt remained down a run until the Red Storm’s Bryan Dirr singled in the sixth, and would score on a Gil Zayas single four batters later.

St. John’s wasn’t finished, though. The Red Storm would add two more runs in the seventh, before Negrych doubled to score Jimmy Mayer to bring Pitt within three. But St. John’s would tack on another run in the ninth to put Pitt away, 6-2.

“I thought Billy [Muldowney] was pitching well,” Panthers head coach Joe Jordano said. “I challenged my team