Opposite Day — Baseball pounds Bobcats

Starting pitcher Chad Baker won his second consecutive start, and the Panther offense… Starting pitcher Chad Baker won his second consecutive start, and the Panther offense pounded out 14 hits en route to a 15-1 victory over Ohio University (12-17) on Tuesday night. It was just the third victory in the last 15 games for the Panthers, who before this game hadn’t won a non-conference game since the March 15 win over Duquesne.

The Bobcats spotted the Panthers (14-20) four runs in the top of the first, a single run in the third, three more in the fifth and seven insurance runs in the last two innings before they broke up the shutout with a lone run in the bottom of the ninth. Ohio committed five errors, while the Panthers finished the game without a fielding miscue.

Pitt got the scoring started in the top of the first when shortstop Jimmy Mayer singled, his first of two hits on the night. Mayer stole second base and moved up to third on an error by the catcher. He crossed the plate when Dusty Hammond booted a Jim Negrych grounder.

Morgan Kielty followed with a single to move Negrych to third, and freshman Rob Lawler followed with a single that scored Negrych. A double steal moved the runners to second and third before Peter Parise singled them both home for the 4-0 lead.

That would be all the support Baker needed. The sophomore threw six innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits and one walk, while striking out two Bobcat hitters. Baker improved his season record to 2-0. He is now 4-0 in his Panther career.

The Panthers added a run in the fourth on another RBI single by Parise.

Pitt then added some insurance in the eighth. After David Cline singled to load the bases, Mayer unloaded the bags with a three-run triple and later came around to score on a Kielty single.

In the ninth, the Panthers picked up another RBI from Mayer on a sacrifice fly that scored Seth Button. Negrych then added the exclamation point. The All-American second baseman smoked a two-run home run, his sixth of the season and the 29th of his career. With his next home run, Negrych — who is only a junior — will become just the fifth player in Pitt history to hit 30 home runs in a career.

Mike Bassage and Ryan Dunford worked the final three frames out of the bullpen, with Dunford allowing the only Bobcat run in the ninth. After Brandon Besl doubled to put runners on second and third with nobody out, Hayden Johnston recorded a fielder’s choice RBI.

Seven of the nine starters for the Panthers recorded at least one hit. Kielty led the way with his first career four-hit night. Mayer had two hits and four RBIs, while Negrych finished with three runs and three RBIs of his own. Lawler ended the game 2-for-5 while Parise was 3-for-5 with four RBIs.

The Panthers stole five bases on the night. Two of those steals came from Cline, who now leads the team with 15 swiped bags on the year.

The Panthers began a four-game home stand last night against the Akron Zips at Trees Field. They take on South Florida this weekend for the first time since the Bulls joined the Big East conference.

South Florida (17-20 overall, 7-8 Big East) is still on the hunt for a Big East championship berth. The Bulls meet the Panthers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The first pitch on Friday night is set for 7 p.m.