University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Duquesne
Baseball Lights Up Duquesne With 11-Run First Inning
3/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 22, 2006
PITTSBURGH - Apparently Pitt's bats just needed a little home cooking as the Panthers exploded for 11 runs in the first inning and cruised to an 18-8 victory at Trees Field on Wednesday over Duquesne in the team's home opener.
The Panthers improved to 11-8 with their eighth win in the past 10 games and finished with 17 hits in the win over their crosstown rival. Duquesne dropped to 3-12 but did manage 12 hits in the loss.
The Dukes scored once in the top of the first inning but Pitt jumped on the Duquesne defense early with 11 first-run innings on seven hits and three Dukes' errors. Sean Conley (Chippewa, Pa./Blackhawk) singled and moved to third on an error by the Dukes' outfield and Jimmy Mayer (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) followed up with a run-scoring single to tie the game at 1-1. Second baseman Jim Negrych (Buffalo, N.Y./St. Francis) made good on his first at-bat at Trees Field this season, connecting on a two-run home run to right-center field for a 3-1 Pitt lead. With two outs, Morgan Kielty (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Central) was hit by a pitch and moved to second when Dan Williams (Berwyn, Pa./Episcopal Academy) reached on a throwing error.
After Edgard Sucre (Miami, Fla./Archbishop Carroll) walked to load the bases, outfielder David Cline (Mercersburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy) singled up the middle to score two more to make it a 5-1 game. Brian Muldowney (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) was hit by a pitch to load the bases again and Conley made the Dukes pay with another two-run single to push the lead to 7-1.
Mayer reached on another error to cross the Panthers' eighth run and Negrych walked to load the bases yet again. This time, Peter Parise (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) drove in two runs with a single and Kielty drove in the 11th run of the inning with a single of his own. In all, the Panthers sent 16 batters to the plate in the first frame.
While the Dukes scored once in the second to cut the lead to 11-2, Pitt went right back to work with two runs in the bottom half of the second. Sucre and Cline walked to begin the inning and both runners came around on a double by Mayer.
In the Panthers' fourth inning, Muldowney connected on a one-out single and moved to third on a single by Conley. After Negrych walked to load the bases, Parise drew a walk to drive in Muldowney with the 14th Pitt run of the game. Duquesne came back with a three-spot in the fifth inning on a three-run home run by Brian Mechling.
That three runs came back for Pitt on one play in the bottom of the sixth inning. Conley singled to lead off the inning and Negrych blasted a single down the right-field line with one out to move Conley to third base. Parise then singled and the ball scooted past the left fielder, allowing Negrych to come all the way around to score. When the throw went into third to try and get Parise, the ball kicked off the Panther runner, allowing him to cross home plate as well to make it a 17-5 game.
Duquesne was able to get three runs in the top of the seventh inning to once again close the gap to nine at 17-8 but Pitt finished off the scoring on a sacrifice fly by Kielty. Kyle Landis (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) earned the victory with two innings of relief for starter Anthony Rossi (Peters Township, Pa./Peters Township). Rossi allowed three hits and two unearned run in his three innings of work, walking one and striking out two. Pitt used six pitchers in all to get the job done, allowing just three walks with seven strikeouts and three of the eight runs were earned.
The Panthers return to action with a three-game series at West Virginia this weekend. Pitt is 2-1 in Big East Conference action after opening play at Seton Hall this past weekend.
NOTES: Conley finished 4-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBIs...Mayer went 3-for-6, scoring three runs and driving in three as well, while Parise finished with four RBIs in the victory...Pitt's top six hitters in the lineup combined to hit .556 with 15 hits in 27 at-bats.
