University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Bradley
Bradley Edges Pitt in Extra Innings, 9-8
2/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 20, 2009
MILLINGTON, Tenn. - The University of Pittsburgh got off to a slow start, but battled back to force the first collegiate extra innings game of 2009, eventually falling to Bradley University, 9-8 on college baseball's opening day.
Bradley's Jim Clayton's two-out, RBI single down the left field line drove in Adam Kimble and gave the Braves the win in the second game of the Service Academies Spring Classic.
Pitt (0-1) was led by Danny Lopez, John Schultz and Chris Sedon. Schultz picked up two hits and two RBI while Sedon had two hits and an RBI. Lopez drove in a team-high three RBI on the day.
After three scoreless innings, the Braves (1-0) sent seven batters to the plate in the fourth and watched as Escue homered, sending a Nate Reed pitch over the right-field wall.
The Panthers cut the lead to two at 5-3 with a three-run fifth inning. Morgan Kielty registered Pitt's first hit of the year, singling to left to lead off. Chris Warner and Nathan Hood both walked to load the bases before Sedon's single through the left side scored Kielty. Lopez recorded his first hit of the season, driving in two runs on a single up the middle to round out the inning for Pitt.
Jordan Colvin singled through the right side while Jim Clayton and Tommy Fitzgerald both walked to load the bases in the top half of the seventh for Bradley. Matt Fritz was hit by a Ryan Dunford pitch, driving home Colvin to make it 6-3. Escue collected his fourth RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to left field, restoring the lead to five at 8-3. BU tacked on one more for good measure when Nick Mitidiero singled to left, driving in Fritz.
Pitt answered in the bottom half of the frame, putting up three runs on four hits. After singling through the left side, Sedon made his way to third after Cory Brownsten singled and Manny Pahoulis was hit by a pitch. Sedon scored off a fielder's choice, cutting the lead to 8-4. Back-to-back singles by Schultz and Joe Leonard scored Brownsten and Lopez and rounded out the inning for Pitt, bringing the score to 8-6.
The Panthers forced extra innings after scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Pahoulis started off with a walk and later scored on a Schultz triple to left center. Schultz tied the game at 8-8 when he scored off Bryan Porter's wild pitch.
Pitt continues play at the Service Academies Spring Classic as they take on Navy tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. ET.
