Baseball holds on to defeat Vikings

A team that starts a season with a 0-7 record can often be a dangerous opponent, eager to get… A team that starts a season with a 0-7 record can often be a dangerous opponent, eager to get its first win. The Pitt baseball team learned this Tuesday afternoon, as it almost let the struggling Cleveland State Vikings get past it.

Despite trailing early, however, the Panthers were able to dig themselves out of a hole in a 9-5 comeback victory. During their current five-game winning streak, the Panthers have increased their record to a notable 14-4, winning 12 of their last 13 games.

Pitt did not do everything that was expected, though, leaving head coach Joe Jordano with some concern.

“Our approach is to play the game, not the opponent,” Jordano said. “We didn’t do that at times.”

The Vikings jumped out to a lead early after a Justin Poletti single allowed them their first run. Poletti scored shortly after as a result of a Dominic Erney single, giving them a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning.

Pitt continued to struggle in its turn at bat. Its next three batters were retired in order, and the inning ended on a Bryan Spamer strikeout, an unusual act for the team’s leading hitter.

Each team picked up a run in its turn at the plate, and the score was 4-1 after four innings of play.

In the fifth inning, Spamer took his game to a higher level, and the Panthers saw a positive turnaround, both offensively and defensively.

Spamer, along with Pitt second baseman Scott Folmar, put together an impressive double play to bring their team to bat. A Ben Copeland double off the right field wall put him into scoring position as Spamer stepped to the plate.

Spamer doubled as well to bring home Copeland, and a short single to center field by Tom Cashman brought in two more runs for the Panthers.

By the end of the inning, the Panthers took away any hope for Cleveland State to put together its first victory of the season. After five runs, three hits and two Cleveland State errors, the inning finally ended, with the score 6-4 in favor of Pitt.

A solo home run by Poletti cut the Pitt lead in half in the top of the eighth inning. But several errors and poor pitching by the Vikings let the Panther lead expand once more.

Three runs by the Panthers put the nail in the coffin in the bottom of the eighth. Brian Jacobsen then pitched the remainder of the game for the Panthers to earn himself a save and assure his team a victory.

Pitt begins Big East play this coming Saturday against Seton Hall, continuing its 10-game home stand. The team looks forward to the start of conference play, as Jordano has had expectations to win the Big East since the start of the season.

However, the Panthers cannot look that far ahead yet. They must first take on a difficult Kent State team this afternoon. Kent State is fresh off a remarkable 5-3 upset over No. 1- ranked Georgia Tech this past Sunday.

“It’s tough to tell right now,” Jordano said about where his team stands going into conference play. “Kent State is an excellent team and it will be a good test for us.”