University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Baseball Drops Two over the Weekend
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 3, 1999
The Pittsburgh baseball team dropped two games to Indiana Feb. 26-27, by scores of 9- 1 and 15-8, respectively. A third game was scheduled for Feb. 28, but it was canceled due to bad weather. The Panthers are 0-5 on the year.
In the first game of the series, the Panthers struggled at the plate, scoring just one run and leaving 12 men on base. The Hoosiers got off to a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, Indiana's Blake St. Clair hit a grand slam homerun off of Pittsburgh's starting right-hander John Schultz (Pittsburgh, Pa./Carrick) and extended the score to 7-0. The Hoosiers made it 9-0 in the bottom of the sixth when Dan Haegele singled for two RBI.
The Panthers' scored their lone run in the top of the eighth when senior first baseman Steve Dickinson (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) began the inning with a double before advancing to third base on a wild pitch. Short stop Doug Caraway (Baltimore, Md./Chesapeake) was walked by Indiana pitcher Chad Smith. Pittsburgh's freshman right-fielder Mike Gonda (Ruffsdale, Pa./Yough) then reached first on a fielder's choice, scoring Dickinson. Junior transfer Eric Katchur (North HUntingdon, Pa./Norwin) also had two hits on the day, including a double. Schultz recorded the loss, while Greg Paul (Ellwood City, Pa./Riverside), Steve Vickroy (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) and Scott Schultz (Pittsburgh, Pa./Carrick) all saw relief time on the mound.
In the second game of the weekend, the Hoosiers had a 5-0 lead after the first inning. The Panthers rallied in the top of the second when junior catcher Dave Hoopes (Hershey, Pa./Lower Dauphin) hit into a fielder's choice and advanced to second on an error, scoring designated hitter Brad Rea (Gibsonia, Pa./North Allegheny) on the play. Katchur then stepped up to the plate and hit a single which scored both Gonda and Hoopes for two RBI, making the score 5-3. Indiana made it 6-3 in the bottom of the second. Pittsburgh transfer Joe Lydic (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) recorded his third RBI of the season when he doubled to left field, scoring junior Chris Happ (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena). By the top of the seventh, Indiana had taken a 12-4 lead when Happ and Dickinson attempted to lead a rally for the Panthers. Happ drove in freshman Stuart Rykaceski (Pittbsurgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) off a single before Dickinson hit a three-run homerun that scored both Happ and senior co-captain Lou Melucci (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights). Dickinson's homerun extended his school career record to 23. Indiana scored three more in the eighth to close out the game, 15-8. Junior righty Matt Shoemaker (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) suffered his second loss of the season. Sophomore reliever Matt Irvin (Derry, Pa./Derry Area) pitched three and one-third innings and struck out five batters.
Pittsburgh returns to action when the Panthers travel to Homestead, Fla. Mar. 6-13, for their annual spring trip to compete in the Homestead Challenge. Pittsburgh will face such teams as Bowling Green, Wagner, Rhode Island, Maine and Bucknell during the week-long trip.
