University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
St Johns
Pittsburgh Baseball Falls Twice to St. John's
4/1/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 1, 2000
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh baseball team fell twice to visiting St. John's in a Big East Conference doubleheader today at Trees Field. The Red Storm claimed victories of 7-2 and 10-5. The two teams will meet up again tomorrow in the final matchup of the three-game weekend series.
St. John's grabbed a quick 3-0 lead after two innings of game one. Its lead then extended to 7-0 before the Panthers put two runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning. Freshman designated hitter Brant Colamarino (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) and junior third baseman Joe Lydic (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) both scored on an error by the right fielder.
Red Storm pitcher Kevin McGerry allowed just three hits in the contest as he pitched a complete game for the win. Outfielder Darrin Lenhart (Allentown, Pa./William Allen), first baseman Brad Rea (Gibsonia, Pa./North Allegheny) and second baseman Scott Folmar (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg) each recorded hits for Pittsburgh. Senior Jory Coughenour (Uniontown, Pa./Uniontown) started on the mound and received the loss after pitching 5.2 innings. Juniors Greg Paul (Ellwood City, Pa./Riverside) and Scott Schultz (Pittsburgh, Pa./Carrick) also saw time in relief for the Panthers.
St. John's claimed game two powered by five home runs. The Red Storm took a 3-0 lead after two and a half innings before Pittsburgh came back to tie the game up in the bottom of the third. With bases loaded, Lydic grounded out to third base for an RBI, scoring freshman right fielder Andre Williams (Johnstown, Pa./Johnstown). Rea then doubled to right field to drive in senior second baseman Harry Ciavarella (Moscow, Pa./North Pocono) before center fielder Stuart Rykaceski (Pittsburgh, Pa./Woodland Hills) scored on a wild pitch.
Four home runs in the next two innings gave St. John's a 9-3 lead. The Panthers scored a run in the fifth when Colamarino grounded out, scoring Rea from third base. The Red Storm added one more in the sixth inning before Pittsburgh got their fifth run in the seventh. Lenhart singled into right field to drive in senior Erik Katchur (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) for the final run of the game.
Leading Pittsburgh in game two was Ciavarella who batted 3-for-4 with one run scored. Rea was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run. Chris Fallon led St. John's with two home runs, while Billy Ryan, Jason Kane and Anthony Sutter each added home runs of their own.
Junior right-hander Matt Irvin (Derry, Pa./Derry Area) started on the mound for the Panthers and received his second loss of the season while sophomore Jeremy Rossi (Ridgway, Pa./Ridgway) also saw innings in relief.
The Panthers (18-11/4-3 Big East) and the Red Storm (15-8/3-2 Big East) will begin game three tomorrow at noon.
