March 20, 2010

Box Score

PITTSBURGH - Pitt's baseball team handled La Salle Saturday afternoon, 20-11, on the road to improve the Panthers to 13-4 on the season. The Panthers will face Temple on Sunday to complete the three-game Philadelphia tour.

Centerfielder Zach Duggan went 5-for-6 at the plate on the day contributing two runs and bringing two additional runners home. Duggan (Cranberry, Pa./Seneca Valley) recorded a double and a stolen base in the win.

Earning the win was starter Kevin Dooley (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East), who pitched 6.1 innings giving up five runs on nine hits while striking out four.

Pitt dominated the game early, scoring seven runs in the top of the first. Three players drove in two runs each including a David Chester double, a Travis Whitmore single to right center and a Danny Lopez single up the middle. The Panthers scored their seven runs on six hits, leaving one base runner on.

In the top of the second, Pitt added two more runs for the early 9-0 lead. Kevan Smith (Cranberry, Pa./Seneca Valley) homered to left center with Joe Leonard (Dawson, Pa./Connellsville) on base. After another shutout inning for Dooley, the Panthers extended the lead to 11-0 in the top of the third with a John Schultz RBI double and a Leonard groundout, which brought home Lopez from third.

Both teams were held without a run in the fourth and fifth innings. In the bottom of the fifth, Dooley pitched himself out of a bind. With two outs in the inning, La Salle loaded the bases but Dooley forced a ground out to leave all three on base.

In the top of the sixth, Pitt took the 13-0 lead with runs scored off a Sean Toole double down the right field line, driving home Chester, and a Duggan single to bring home Toole.

La Salle took their turn driving in runs in the bottom of the seventh with a seven-run output. The Explorers' first seven hitters reached base and they concluded the inning with seven runs on seven hits to cut the lead to 13-7. La Salle added another run in the bottom of the eighth, bringing the score to 13-8.

The Panthers weren't finished, however, driving in seven runs in the ninth for the 20-8 advantage. Steve Shelinsky, who entered the game in the eighth for Toole, got in on the action, driving in two runs on an RBI single through the right side. Lopez (Queens, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) also brought in two runs in the inning with a double down the right field line. Pitt had eight hits in the ninth and left one on.

In the bottom of the ninth, La Salle faced a 20-8 deficit and came up short with a three-run inning. An RBI ground out and a two-RBI single produced three runs on four hits for the Explorers, giving Pitt the final 20-11 victory.

The Panthers will face Temple Sunday at 12: 15 p.m. to conclude their Philly weekend. Nate Hood is expected on the mound for Pitt.