CLEARWATER, FL.- The Pitt baseball team used a season-high 12 hits to earn a 5-1 victory over Sacred Heart Tuesday as part of the Clearwater Invitational for their first win of the 2007 season. The Panthers' record is now 1-8, while the Pioneers fell to 3-4.
Pitt started the game off strong, scoring two runs in the top of the first. Leadoff batter Mike Lepor (Rochester, Mi./Grand Rapids Community College) ripped a double to center field, and two batters later, freshman Gary Bucuren (Ambridge, Pa./Kentucky) drew a walk from Sacred Heart starting pitcher Jared Balbach. With two on and one out, Peter Parise (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman) singled to right field, scoring Lepor. An error by the Pioneer right fielder allowed Bucuren to score, unearned, giving the Panthers a 2-0 advantage.
The score remained 2-0 in Pitt's favor until the top of the fourth, when the Panthers added another two runs to the board. Jordan Herr (Lancaster, Pa./Delaware) continued his success at the plate with a one-out double to right-center field. Herr would go 3-4 on the day, adding two singles to his fourth-inning double. Lepor followed Herr with his second hit of the day, a run-producing single, to move the score to 3-0.
Freshman Daniel Lopez (Queens, NY/Monsignor McClancy) kept the Pitt offense rolling by knocking a single of his own into left field. With two on, Pitt successfully executed a double steal, advancing Lepor to third and Lopez to second. Lepor would cross the plate for the Panthers' fourth run on an error by the Sacred Heart second baseman.
The Pioneers got some offense started in the fourth, scoring one run off a leadoff walk and two-out double from second baseman Jason Maiella, but Pitt starter Paul Nardozzi (Victor, NY/Victor) and the Panther defense shutdown the Sacred Heart bats. Nardozzi would go eight innings, allowing just six hits and one run, while striking out six before giving way to reliever Ryan Dunford (Buffalo, NY/Biship Timon) to close out the game.
Pitt added a final insurance run in the top of the ninth when Parise was hit by a pitch to start the inning. With one out, Seth Button (Elk Lake, Pa./Gloucester College) knocked his third single of the day into center field, advancing Parise to third. Brian Muldowney (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) followed with a sac-fly to deep center field, allowing Parise to score for the games' final of 5-1.
The Panthers will continue their spring training this week as they face St. Joseph's for 10 a.m. contests on Wednesday and Thursday. Pitt will then take on Lehigh Friday at 3 p.m. and again on Saturday at 1 p.m., before concluding play in Clearwater, Fla. with a third and final match-up against Sacred Heart on Sunday, March 11, at 10 a.m.
NOTES: Four Panthers tallied multiple hits in today's win: Mike Lepor went 2-3 with a double and RBI-single, Daniel Lopez earned a single and a double in five at-bats, while Seth Button ripped three singles of his own in four plate appearances. Jordan Herr continued his stellar offensive performance in Florida, going 3-4 with a double and two singles. Herr has now hit 6-10 in the past three games for a .600 batting average.
--30--
