University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Baseball Concludes Season with 14-8 Loss
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 17, 1999
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Panthers baseball team concluded the 1999 season today with a 14-8 loss to Big East foe Rutgers at Trees Field. Sophomore Joe Lydic (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) set new school records for single-season runs batted in (53) and runs scored (53), while senior Lou Melucci (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) surpassed the career runs mark with 122.
Rutgers held a 14-0 lead after five and a half innings before Pittsburgh got on the board with three home runs in the bottom of the sixth. With the three homers, the Panthers set a new single- season team mark with 56, breaking a record held for twelve years (54-1987). Melucci began the home run spree with his fifth of the season and his record-breaking 121st career run scored. The previous record was held by Jason Conti (1994-96).
Freshman designated hitter Brad Rea (Gibsonia, Pa./North Allegheny) then hit his sixth home run of the year to drive in Lydic for two RBI before senior Steve Dickinson (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) knocked his 13th out of the park to make the score 14-4.
Melucci extended his career record to 122 runs when he scored on a triple by Lydic in the bottom of the eighth. Lydic's 53rd RBI of the season broke Jon DeBernardis' record of 52 set in 1995. He then scored on a ground out by freshman right fielder Mike Gonda (Ruffs Dale, Pa./Yough) to break the single-season runs record (previously 52 by Danny Gonzalez in 1994). The Panthers added two more runs by senior Chris Delsignore (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) and sophomore Mike Pokrzywinski (Murraysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) in the bottom of the ninth for the final score.
Pittsburgh was held to 11 hits on the afternoon, while the Scarlet Knights had 20. Panther freshman Stuart Rykaceski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) and Gonda contributed with a double and a triple, respectively. Melucci (3-5) and Lydic (2-5) each finished with an RBI and two runs scored.
Pittsburgh completed the 1999 season with an overall record of 27-27 and a conference mark of 11-14 (7th). Gonda led the Panthers with a .367 batting average in his freshman campaign. Dickinson was second with a .347. Pittsburgh set three team single-season records for hits (556), doubles (92) and home runs (56), while Melucci, Lydic, Dickinson and senior pitcher John Schultz (Pittsburgh, Pa./Carrick) combined for 11 individual records.
