Pittsburgh Drops Second Game of Doubleheader, 8-5, to Rutgers

4/9/2004

P.J. Hiser hit his team-best 11th home run in the game.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. ? Pittsburgh?s baseball team suffered a 8-5 setback to Rutgers in the nightcap of its doubleheader, dropping both ends of the twinbill to the Scarlet Knights. The Panthers fell to 17-8 overall and 5-3 in the Big East while Rutgers improved to 14-13 and 6-2 in the conference.

Pittsburgh got the board in the first inning with a two-run single by Bryan Spamer. However, that lead was short-lived as the Scarlet Knights came right back with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame.

After falling behind 4-2 after two innings, P.J. Hiser blasted his team-best 11^th home run of the season in the third inning, a two-run shot that knotted the score at 4-4.

Once again, Rutgers came right back and scored four runs over the next three innings to take a commanding 8-4 lead heading into the final two innings. The Panthers scored its fifth and final run in the eight inning on a Mike Scanzano RBI-infield single, but that was all the closer they would get.

Spamer finished with three hits and two RBIs in the nightcap while Scanzano added two hits and one RBI in four at-bats.

T.J. Gornati (1-3) suffered the loss on the mound for Pittsburgh, pitching 5.1 innings and allowing seven hits and six runs while striking out five batters and walking four.

The Panthers return to action on Saturday as they travel to meet Big East-rival West Virginia in a doubleheader in Morgantown. First pitch of game one is slated for noon.

Pittsburgh Drops Second Game of Doubleheader, 8-5, to Rutgers

Related Videos