Staff torched as Mountaineers sweep Panthers

The Big East baseball version of the Backyard Brawl couldn’t have gone much worse for the Pitt… The Big East baseball version of the Backyard Brawl couldn’t have gone much worse for the Pitt Panthers. Before traveling to Morgantown for a weekend series, the Panthers (11-11 overall, 2-4 Big East) were atop the Big East standings, but when the weekend ended Sunday afternoon, the Panthers had suffered a clean sweep at the hands of the Mountaineers for the first time since 1997.

West Virginia (19-3, 3-0) didn’t just beat the Panthers on three straight days, the team cruised right by them, outscoring the Panthers 27-10 in the three games.

The Panthers’ starting pitching – which had been so solid to start the season – collapsed under a red-hot WVU offense, and the Panthers’ bats just couldn’t muster much of a response the entire weekend.

WVU 8, Pitt 4

The Mountaineers used big innings in the first and the sixth to put the Panthers away in the series opener. After Pitt jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, WVU put up three runs in the bottom of the frame, only one of which was earned.

In the home half of the sixth, clinging to a 3-2 lead, the Mountaineers busted out for five more runs, chasing Pitt starter Billy Muldowney and putting a stamp on their first Big East win of the season.

Jimmy Mayer, Peter Parise and Seth Button each had two hits for the Panthers. Muldowney lasted five and one-third innings, allowing 11 hits and eight runs – only four of which were earned – to take the loss.

Defensive problems continued to plague the Panthers as they have all season. Dan Williams committed errors number eight and nine of the season and Jeff Stevens added his fourth of the season as well.

WVU 6, Pitt 2

For the second straight day, WVU broke open a close game with a big inning and put the Panthers away on Saturday afternoon.

WVU scored the first three runs of the game with a lone run in the second and two more in the third, but the Panthers cut the lead to 3-2 in the top half of the fourth. With the bases loaded and one out, Williams singled up the middle to knock in a pair of runs.

However, in the bottom of the fifth, the Mountaineers put up three more insurance runs as Justin Jenkins and Kyle Matuszek both homered.

Rob Brant took the loss for the Panthers, allowing 11 hits and six earned runs in five and one-third innings. Brant struck out four and walked two. Kyle Landis pitched the final two and two-thirds innings without allowing a run, giving up two hits.

Jim Negrych had three hits to lead the Panthers.

WVU 13, Pitt 4

On Sunday, the Panthers turned to their hottest starting pitcher to try to avoid the sweep. Paul Nardozzi, who entered the game with a 4-1 record and a 1.15 ERA, left bruised and battered after allowing 13 hits and 13 runs, 11 of which were earned in four and one-third innings.

WVU jumped on the Panthers almost from the start, picking up four runs in the third, four in the fourth and five more in the fifth to build a 13-2 lead by the end of the fifth inning.

The Panthers scored two runs in the fourth and two more in the seventh, but it wasn’t nearly enough to cut into the WVU lead. Jim Negrych and Peter Parise each had two hits and one RBI for the Panthers.

Relief pitchers Mike Bassage and Chad Baker combined to finish the final three and two-thirds innings of the game, allowing just two hits and no runs.

Notes-WVU stole 11 bases on the weekend while the Panthers didn’t swipe any bags-Jim Negrych continued his climb toward a .400 batting average. He now sits at a team-leading .394-Nardozzi’s ERA jumped from a Big-East best 1.15 to 3.32 after Sunday’s loss-