Pitt
Notre Dame
Panthers Drop Big East Opener to Notre Dame, 6-5
3/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 24, 2012
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame's Ryan Bull hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lead the Irish to a 6-5 win over Pitt in the Big East opener for both teams.
The Panthers ended Irish starting pitcher Will Hudgins' streak of 19 consecutive scoreless innings with four unearned runs in the third inning and led for most of the game. But, some close calls that didn't go Pitt's way and Bull's blast to right field to lead off the bottom of the ninth led to a Notre Dame win.
"Overall it was a well-played game and we did a lot of good things today, but one swing of the bat and that was the difference," said Pitt head coach Joe Jordano. "That's a tough one and we've had quite a few of those this year. As I told the club after the game, if we can endure this and keep working through it, we're going to be fine. But we need a few games like this to go our way."
All four of Pitt's runs off Hudgins were unearned because of a throwing error, but it was a credit to the Panthers' lineup for taking advantage of the miscue. Rick Devereaux had a RBI double down the right field line in the inning, while Casey Roche followed with a two-run single. Stephen Vranka singled and scored in the inning, as did Sam Parente.
Hudgins finished with a career-high 12 strikeouts before exiting the game with one out in the eighth. The Panthers tagged reliever Joe Spano for a run when Roche singled and scored on a double by Boo Vazquez, giving them a 5-3 lead.
Notre Dame tied the game on a two-run double by Trey Mancini in the eighth inning, setting the stage for Bull in the ninth.
Matt Iannazzo started the game for the Panthers, following a two-hour run delay, and allowed three runs in 4.1 innings of work. He received a no-decision to keep his unbeaten record (4-0) intact.
Vranka helped Iannazzo's cause with a great defensive play from center field in the third inning. With Pitt leading 3-1, Bull singled, but Vranka threw Joe Hudson out at the plate. Catcher Elvin Soto made a nice play as well, making a leaping catch and coming down with the tag.
Joe Harvey continued to impress out of the bullpen, both with his success in getting Pitt out of jams and his ability to work multiple innings. He didn't allow a run in 2.2 innings on the mound, stretching his scoreless innings streak to 9.1. He hasn't allowed a run since his season debut against Wofford on Feb. 24, and has lowered his ERA to 2.79.
Harvey entered the game with one out and the bases load in the fifth inning. He started off shaky with a walk, but helped Pitt escape the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
"Again, we played a clean game and did a lot of good things," Jordano said. "This one is tough, but we have to erase it and come back ready tomorrow."
Pitt looks to even the season series and its conference record when it plays the second game of the series at Notre Dame on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. Ethan Mildren will make the start for the Panthers.
