Baseball Falls to Connecticut, 6-2, in Series Finale
5/16/2004
Senior Bryan Spamer broke the Pittsburgh career hits record with his 238th hit in the first inning.
Connecticut Box Score (Game 2)
PITTSBURGH ? Pittsburgh?s baseball team dropped the nightcap to Connecticut, 6-2, in their Big East doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Trees Field. The Panthers fell to 36-14 overall and 16-7 in the conference while the Huskies upped their mark to 24-26-1 and 8-15 in conference action.
After Connecticut scored one run in the top of the first, Pittsburgh plated two runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame. With one out, Bryan Spamer broke the Pittsburgh career record for hits with a single to right field. That single marked his 238th career base hit. P.J. Hiser followed up with a record-breaking two-run home run, giving the Panthers a 2-1 lead. Hiser?s homer was his 20th of the season, surpassing the school?s single-season mark.
However, Connecticut starter Brendan McGinn kept Pittsburgh in check the rest of the game, allowing just six hits and no runs over the final eight innings. In the mean time, the Huskies used two two-run doubles by catcher Larry Day to provide the knockout punches. Day finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs and one run scored.
Hiser (5-1) suffered the loss on the mound, working just 1.1 innings and allowing four runs on five hits. McGinn (3-4) went the distance and notched the victory.
Spamer, Jim Negrych and David Cline each had two hits to lead the Panthers. Negrych posted his 19th double of the year, also breaking a single-season school record.
The Panthers close out their 2004 non-conference slate with a Tuesday afternoon game at Youngstown State. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.