UConn on deck for Pitt baseball

When baseball teams leave their home field and hit the road for consecutive away games, a… When baseball teams leave their home field and hit the road for consecutive away games, a point of emphasis is almost always to get off to a good start, and the Panthers are no exception.

While the Panthers have five games left on their current nine-game road swing, the first four have undoubtedly been games the Panthers wish they could forget.

After suffering a detrimental Big East sweep this past weekend at the hands of St. John’s, the Panthers failed to compete with Penn State Wednesday night in non-conference action in Altoona that ended with the Panthers on the wrong end of a 9-0 final score.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Panthers (13-12 overall, 1-6 Big East), losers of seven of their last nine games, as they head for Storrs, Conn., this weekend to take on the fourth-place Huskies (17-9, 3-2).

The Huskies have cooled off slightly since opening a spring schedule by winning four of five games in Bradenton, Fla., and four straight wins in the USA Challenge tournament in mid-March, good enough for first place.

In Big East play, the Huskies split a doubleheader with Villanova before taking two out of three games against West Virginia. Senior first basemen Jeff Hourigan was named Big East Player of the Week, having helped the Huskies to a series win over the Mountaineers and two non-conference victories over Northeastern and Fairfield.

For the week, Hourigan hit .476 with four doubles, two home runs, 10 RBIs and six runs. He also started on the mound against Northeastern and pitched three solid innings, allowing just one run. Hourigan is the Huskies’ power source as he leads the team with four home runs, eight doubles and 18 RBIs.

Hourigan is second on the Huskies in hitting behind senior outfielder Tony Mallozzi, who is hitting .382, which is inside the Top 15 in the conference.

On the hill, the Huskies turn to none other than Hourigan as one of their leading pitchers. On the season, Hourigan is 3-0 with a 2.92 ERA in 24 innings pitched. However, the ace of the staff has been sophomore left-hander Rich Sirois. Sirois, who has won four of his six appearances, has an ERA of 2.27 and a team-leading 35 and two-third innings pitched.

If the Huskies have a lead late in the game, count on head coach Jim Penders to close the game out with one of two guys.

Sophomore Ted Garry and freshman David Erickson lead the team with 11 and 10 appearances, respectively, and are tied for the team lead in saves with two each. Garry has pitched 10 innings and has yet to allow an earned run, while Erickson has allowed just two earned runs in more than 18 innings on the mound.

For the Panthers, it has been the same usual suspects pacing them at the plate. Second baseman Jim Negrych continues his hot season, hitting an even .400 clip with a Big East leading 12 doubles, 23 walks and .753 slugging percentage. His five home runs and 32 RBIs lead the Panthers, and his six-game hit streak is currently tied for the team lead.

Speedster Ben Copeland is second on the team with a .375 batting average, but he also leads the conference in runs scored with 29 and stolen bases with 20. Freshman Sean Conley continues to be a pleasant surprise for the Panthers, hitting .349 with 15 RBIs.

The Panthers pitching staff ranks fourth in the Big East in team ERA at 3.30, led by staff ace Billy Muldowney. Muldowney, who is 1-2 on the season, has been the loser in two tough-luck games so far for the Panthers. During Pitt’s spring break trip to Florida, Muldowney took a loss against nationally ranked Miami, despite only giving up three runs.

This past weekend, Muldowney suffered another heartbreaker, giving up just one earned run to St. John’s in a loss. In both games, the Panthers provided Muldowney with zero runs of support. In 34 innings pitched this season, Muldowney has struck out 38 batters and has allowed just four earned runs, while carrying an ERA of 1.06. The Panthers, however, have lost four of the five games Muldowney has started.

The two teams will square off in a doubleheader on Saturday at J.O. Christian Field. The first pitch will be thrown at noon. Game three is set for noon on Sunday.