Big MAC Attack — Pitching gets shelled in 14-4 loss to Kent State

The explosion you heard yesterday afternoon was Drew Saylor.

The Kent State third baseman… The explosion you heard yesterday afternoon was Drew Saylor.

The Kent State third baseman hit a first-inning homer and added two doubles on his way to a 3-for-6 day as the Golden Flashes dropped Pitt, 14-4, at Trees Field.

Kent State’s offense – led by Saylor’s five RBIs – jumped all over the Panthers’ pitching staff, chasing starter Anthony Rossi after just an inning and two-thirds on their way to 15 hits on the day.

Head coach Joe Jordano used five different pitchers in the game, but none of them could stop the onslaught.

“We didn’t exactly fool anybody on the mound,” he said of his hurlers’ performances. “We’re thin right now.”

Pitt kept the game close early. After Drew Saylor hit a two-run homer in the top of the first, Pitt answered in the bottom of the inning when Jim Negrych hit a two-run shot of his own.

Negrych, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, was the only bright spot in an otherwise dull Pitt offense. As a team, the Panthers managed just seven hits and four RBIs.

“How much can one guy do?” Jordano said. “You have got to have some support in front of him and behind him.”

Kent State added another run in the top of the second when a walk came back to haunt Rossi. Todd Balduf drew the base on balls, and scored on Jimmy Mayer’s ninth error of the season.

The Golden Flashes broke the game open in the fourth inning. Will Vazquez worked a walk off Chad Baker – who relieved Rossi in the second – to lead off. After a Chris Tremblay flyout, Emmanuel Burriss doubled to put men on second and third. Joe Tucker’s sacrifice fly scored Vazquez, Saylor doubled home Burriss and Kurt Eichorn knocked him in with a home run.

After another walk, Baker was pulled for Mike Bassage. Bassage got a pop out to end the inning, but ran into his own problems an inning later.

The bottom of the Kent State lineup started things again in the top of the fifth. Vazquez singled, then moved to second when Bassage threw away a pickoff attempt. Barriss singled him home, then moved to second on another botched Bassage pickoff. Tucker drove him in with a single and scored on Saylor’s double. Kurt Eichorn then doubled in Saylor for the third run of the inning.

Pitt answered in the bottom of the inning when Sean Conley singled and later scored on a Negrych single, but the Golden Flashes got two runs in the top of the sixth to crush any momentum the Panthers had.

Alex Oles started the inning for Pitt, seeing his first action of the year. Balduf made sure it wasn’t a pleasant welcome. The catcher led off with a solo home run. Brad Winter followed with a single, and he came around on a groundout later in the inning.

He made it out of the inning, but had to leave the game in the eighth after being hit by a line drive.

Justin Cicatello relieved him, but was touched for an earned run when he walked Tremblay to lead off the ninth. Tremblay moved up on a wild pitch and a single, and scored on a Saylor groundout.

Pitt had problems up and down its lineup all game. Only Negrych managed more than one hit. The bottom three spots in the order went a combined 0-for-10 with six strikeouts. Seth Button had three of them.

“We were a very tentative team in all aspects of the game,” Jordano said, citing a poor plate approach as one reason the Pitt hitting faltered.

The final Pitt run crossed the plate in the bottom of the seventh. Conley walked to start the inning, and after Mayer struck out looking, Negrych moved Conley to third with a single. Designated hitter Morgan Kielty then knocked Conley in with a single of his own, his lone hit of the day.

The Golden Flashes’ pitching staff was a step ahead of the Pitt bats all day. Starter Jon Miller settled down after his shaky first inning, giving up just two more earned runs while striking out five in four more innings of work.

Dominique Rodgers relieved him and gave the Panthers fits for three innings. Seven of the nine batters he retired were strikeout victims. Andrew Davis closed the game with a perfect ninth inning.

Ultimately, Jordano was less concerned about his offense than his pitching.

“That’s been one of our strengths,” he said. “We were very sub-standard. We really didn’t do a very good job on the mound today.”

The Panthers return to action this weekend when they travel to South Bend, Ind., for a three-game series against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. They return to Pittsburgh for a game at Falconi Field in Washington, Pa., on Tuesday.

Their next true home game will be next Friday at 7 p.m. The Panthers take on the St. John’s Red Storm at Trees Field.