Pitt 19, Seton Hall 0

In what was supposed to be a battle of two staff aces, Panther… Pitt 19, Seton Hall 0

In what was supposed to be a battle of two staff aces, Panther hurler Billy Muldowney out-dueled Pirate pitcher Jake Haggerty in a lopsided affair as Pitt rolled over Seton Hall in the opening game of the Big East doubleheader.

Muldowney, who spent his freshman year at Duke before transferring to Pitt this season, was masterful in earning his first career victory as a Panther. He tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits and three walks while racking up 12 strikeouts. Muldowney mixed in a very effective change-up and two-seam fastball to keep the Pirates off balance from the beginning.

“I’m really happy,” Muldowney said following the game. “The team backed me up real well. I was just trying to live low and let my fielders make plays for me.”

Holding a 2-0 lead, the Panthers broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth inning with eight runs on five hits, chasing Haggerty from the game. The Pirates issued the Panthers five walks in the inning, and second baseman Jim Negrych’s two-run double off the left center wall was the big blow.

The Panthers’ bats stayed hot in the fifth inning, pelting nine more runs off seven hits led by Ben Copeland’s two-run double and Negrych’s two-run home run over the left field fence. Copeland finished the game 4-for-5 with a double, triple, three runs scored, two stolen bases and five runs batted in. After stealing second base in the second inning, Copeland stole second again in the fourth to give him a Big East-leading 18 stolen bases.

Negrych was also a big part of the Panther offense on the afternoon, gathering four hits with the home run, two doubles, a stolen base, two runs scored and five runs batted in. He reached base in all five of his at-bats, drawing a walk in the third inning. Peter Parise and Dan Stevens each had two hits for the Panthers, with Parise driving in three runs and Stevens driving in two.

Muldowney added to the streak of solid pitching this season for the Panthers, who won their fifth straight. After giving up a weak double in the first, he allowed just two more singles throughout the game and held the Pirates hitless in the final three innings.

“Coach [Jordano] does a great job calling pitches, and we execute,” Muldowney said.