Baseball wins three of four on the road

The Pitt baseball team proved its resilience after splitting a two game series with the… The Pitt baseball team proved its resilience after splitting a two game series with the No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Thursday as it went on to sweep its weekend series at Georgetown last weekend.

Pitt dropped game one to the Fighting Irish 5-2, but rebounded to win the second game of a doubleheader, 5-3. The Panthers kept their momentum going by winning the first game, 11-3, and the second, 8-3, at Georgetown.

Notre Dame 5, Pitt 2

In the bottom of the second inning of game one, the Fighting Irish went ahead 3-0, but the Panthers came back in the top of the third with two runs of their own. Pitt first baseman Tom Cashman knocked in third basemen Mike Scanzano with an RBI single.

Bryan Spamer came around to score the Panthers second run of the game on a wild pitch. Notre Dame added a run in the fourth when Matt Macri scored on a double play and one in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Matt Bransfield.

Pitt had eight hits during the game, but could not seem to get a big hit when it needed it. Spamer and Mike Bell led Pitt with two hits apiece, but the Panthers did not have an extra base hit in the game.

Joe Engel took the hill for the Panthers and he pitched 5 1/3 innings and was tagged with the loss. He gave up five runs on eight hits.

Pitt 5, Notre Dame 3

The first three innings were scoreless until Casey Long knocked in Stuart Rykaceski with an RBI single down the left field line in the top of the fourth inning. Notre Dame tied the game at one in the bottom of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Steve Sollmann.

A three-run sixth inning gave Pitt all of the runs it would need. Rykaceski led off the inning with a single and again Long drove in Rykaceski, but this time with a double, which put the Panthers on top 2-1.

Scanzano increased Pitt’s lead to 4-1 with a two-run single and Cashman added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning when he scored on a wild pitch.

Notre Dame threatened in the bottom of the seventh with two runs, but the Panthers withstood the threat. Jimmy Blue picked up the win in relief of Don Rhoten and Jeff Barnyak recorded his third save of the season.

Scanzano finished the game with a career high four hits and Rykaceski contributed three hits.

Pitt 11, Georgetown 3

Bell got the Panthers started with a solo home run to left center in the top of the second inning of game one. Scanzano put two more runs on the board with a two-run home run to left field in the top of the fourth inning.

Pitt was leading 4-0 going into the bottom half of the fourth when Nick Evangelista ran into trouble. The Hoyas’ Michael Lombardi led off the inning with a solo home run. Lombardi’s homer was followed by a walk and a two-run home run by Billy Quinn, which brought Georgetown to within one run.

Rykaceski gave the Panthers a little bit of breathing room with a RBI double, which was followed by a two-run homer to center field by Long. Pitt scored four more runs in the sixth inning with three runs coming on Long’s homerun.

Evangelista pitched four innings and gave up three runs on three hits and struck out one. Luckette pitched the remaining three innings and did not surrender a run.

Bell led the Panthers with a 3 for 4 performance and two RBIs. Long also contributed two hits. Both were home runs.

Pitt 8, Georgetown 3

The Hoyas briefly led game two as they picked up a run in the bottom of the third inning. Matt Carullo doubled of the right field wall and Andrew Cleary drove him in with an RBI single to shallow center for a 1-0 nothing lead.

Pitt finally got on the board when Cashman, who had reached base on a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch, scored on a Spamer single to right. Long drove Spamer in with a sacrifice fly, which gave the Panthers a brief 2-1 lead.

Georgetown knotted the game at two in the bottom of the sixth. Cleary reached on a throwing error by Scanzano and advance to second base. He moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Quinn.

The Panthers broke the game open with a five-run seventh inning. Scott Folmar walked and Copeland reached on a bunt single. Cashman was intentionally walked and Spamer came through with an RBI infield single to third base. Rykaceski roped a three-run double to center field to cap off the inning.

Barnyak picked up the win as he pitched seven innings, yielded two runs on four hits, and struck out nine. Brian Jacobsen pitched the final two innings and gave up one run on one hit.

Spamer, Rykaceski and Copeland led the Panthers with two hits apiece.

Pitt is next in action on April 26 vs. Buffalo at noon.