University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
Notre Dame
Panthers Lose Another Close Game to Notre Dame
3/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 24, 2012
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Pitt baseball team played well again, but lost its second straight one-run game, falling 3-2 at Notre Dame on Saturday at Frank Eck Stadium.
The Panthers dropped to 10-10 overall and 0-2 in the Big East with the loss. Of those 10 losses, seven were by two runs or less, while five came by just one run, results that could possibly be attributed to having a young team.
Similar to the previous night's game when the Irish won on a walk-off solo home run, Saturday's game ended with a big play. With the Panthers' trailing 3-2 with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, Derik Wilson hit a line drive to center field that surely would have scored Mike Douglas from second base and probably would have plated Evan Oswald from first for the go-ahead run, but Charlie Markson made a leaping catch to end the game.
"It was another tough ballgame. Ethan Mildren was a bit shaky in the first but really settled in and pitched great," said Pitt head coach Joe Jordano. "We had a great chance in the ninth with two on and WIlson smoked that ball to center as hard as he could hit it."
Mildren took the mound with a two-run lead in the first inning, but allowed the first five batters he faced to reach base, three of which would go on to score, completing the scoring for the game.
It was the only bad inning for Mildren in a complete-game effort. He allowed just three hits in the final seven innings, including a stretch where he retired 11-straight batters. He tied his season-high with six strikeouts, while walking just one hitter.
Rick Devereaux stretched his Big East-leading RBI total to 28 by driving in Anthony Defabio with a double to right-center field in the top of the first inning. Devereaux would later score on a throwing error following a single by Casey Roche.
After the first inning it became a pitcher's duel between Mildren and Notre Dame's Adam Norton. Similar to Mildren, Norton shook off a tough first inning and went 8.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits. He struck out four and walked none.
"Both teams played and pitched well," Jordano said. "We simply have to keep getting after it every day. Things will go our way. We need to create and take advantage of every opportunity."
Pitt will finish its series at Notre Dame on Sunday. First pitch for the finale is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
