March 22, 2008
Box Score
PITTSBURGH--The Pitt baseball team continued its three-game series with rival West Virginia today at Hawley Field. After suffering a 15-12 defeat yesterday at the hands of the Mountaineers, the Panthers were unable to wake up their bats until the sixth inning and could not overcome a sizable West Virginia lead as they dropped their third consecutive contest by a score of 12-6.
Pitt (6-10, 0-2) fell behind early after a defensive miscue, one of two Panther errors on the afternoon, helped Tyler Kuhn come around to register the game first run in the bottom of the first inning. The Mountaineers went on to plate nine more runners over the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to balloon their advantage to 10 runs before Pitt could answer in the top of the seventh.
Freshman Joe Leonard (Connellsville, Pa./Connellsville) led off the seventh with a solo home run to right center that put the Panthers on the board. John Schultz (Reading, Pa./Wilson West Lawn) followed with a double to left and was brought home with two sacrifice flies that cut into the Mountaineers' lead.
West Virginia added runs in the bottom of the seventh and the eighth to restore their 10-run lead. The Panthers then made on final gasp in the top of the ninth, posting four runs in the final frame to set the final at 12-6.
Jordan Herr (Lancaster, Pa./Delaware) singled down the right field line to start the Pitt rally. Leonard then roped a single to left center, pushing Herr to second. After another single, Sean Conley (Chippewa, Pa./Blackhawk) stepped to the plate and laced a single to center which scored Herr and advanced runners to second and third.
Morgan Kielty (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Central) put the final two runs on the board with his first long ball of the year. That would be all the Panthers could muster, however, as Chris Tonte (Pittston, Pa./Lackawanna CC) struck out to end the inning and give WVU its second victory in as many days.
Kielty finished the day 2-5 with those two RBI, while Leonard and Schultz also had productive offensive showings and scored two runs each.
The series will conclude Saturday, March 22 at 1 p.m. at Hawley Field.
