Baseball stays hot, takes two from BC

Every Big East conference game down the stretch continues to get bigger and bigger for Pitt’s… Every Big East conference game down the stretch continues to get bigger and bigger for Pitt’s baseball team, and the biggest hurdle so far this season was its recent three-game series with second-place Boston College.

The Panthers (24-17 overall, 10-9 Big East), fighting for the fourth and final spot in the Big East tournament, were up to the task. Pitt took two of three from the Eagles (34-16, 15-7) after rain delayed the start of the series until Sunday.

Pitt 9, Boston College 3

The Panthers used six runs off six hits in the third inning to take an early lead and rode the arm of Billy Muldowney to his fifth win of the season in a 9-3 opening win.

In the top of the third inning, Jimmy Mayer led off with a walk and advanced to third on a Jim Negrych single. He eventually scored on a single by Peter Parise. Junior catcher Jeff Stevens then connected on a three-run homer before Mayer and Ben Copeland each knocked in a run later in the inning.

Parise led the Panther attack, finishing 4-for-5 in the game with two runs and one RBI while Copeland, Mayer, Stevens and Edgard Sucre each had two hits of their own.

Muldowney pitched a complete game to record the win, improving his record to 5-2 on the season. He allowed just three runs on seven hits while striking out seven.

Mike Wlodarczyk suffered the loss for Boston College, dropping his record to 9-2 on the year, snapping his personal nine-game winning streak. He went six innings, giving up seven runs on 12 hits while striking out 10 Panthers.

Pitt head coach Joe Jordano was full of praise for his team’s performance at the plate.

“We made a good adjustment, going the opposite way,” he said. “Our right-handed hitters did really well taking the ball to left.”

Boston College 3, Pitt 0

Boston College’s starting pitcher Joe Martinez held the Panther offense to just three hits while pitching a complete game shutout. He struck out three batters in the win, improving his record to 8-2 with the 3-0 win, his fifth-straight complete game.

The two teams played a scoreless game until the third inning when Boston College put its first run on the board. Drew Locke singled with two outs and then moved to third when Stevens, attempting to catch him stealing second, sailed into left field. He easily scored on a Jared McGuire single that found its way through the left side.

The Eagles added two insurance runs in the fifth inning for the 3-0 lead, highlighted by a home run off the bat of senior Tom Mackor.

Pitt freshman Robert Brant took the loss on the mound for the Panthers, giving up three runs in five innings while striking out two and walking one. His record dropped to 4-2.

Pitt 6, Boston College 1

Faced with a must-win situation, the Panthers took the rubber game of the series. Pitt’s offense came back to help out starting pitcher Shaun Butler, who threw a complete game in the 6-1 win.

Butler held the Eagles to just one run, taking advantage of double plays to keep his pitch count low. Jordano admitted that he had four or five pitchers ready to go, but stuck by his starter.

“He had them off balance,” he said. “He was throwing his change up for strikes.”

The Panthers opened up the scoring in the third inning, getting two runs with two outs. Copeland and Mayer reached base on a walk and a hit batsman, respectively, and Negrych reached first on a throwing error.

Boston College starter Nate Jeans then walked consecutive batters with the bases loaded, pushing two Panthers across to give Pitt a 2-0 advantage.

Boston College scored a run of its own in the third inning, cutting the margin in half. The Eagles held the game at 2-1 until the eighth inning but Pitt scored four runs in the top of the eighth to blow the game open.

Negrych led off with a single, then advanced to third after a wild pitch and a Parise sacrifice bunt. Stevens singled home Negrych for Pitt’s first run of the inning. He finished the series with five RBIs.

Boston College pitcher Terry Doyle then intentionally walked Sucre and the Eagles looked like they might survive the inning with minimal damage after Sean Conley flew out to center field. But Cline followed by blasting a three-run home run over the left field wall to put the game out of reach.

Jordano explained that focus was the key in getting the offense back in stride.

“We had to be more focused in every at bat,” he said. “We told the players, ‘Remember, the next pitch could be your drive pitch. The next ball could come to you.'”

The two wins place the Panthers a half-game ahead of Rutgers in the Big East standings for fourth place. Pitt will resume Big East play with another crucial series this weekend, this time at home against the third-place Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

Assistant sports editor Brian Weaver contributed to this report.