Panther Baseball Hosts Three Games at Three Rivers

4/22/1998

Pittsburgh off next week for finals.

The Pittsburgh Panther baseball team hosted three Big East Conference games this past week at Three Rivers Stadium and tied crosstown-rival Duquesne, 5-5, at Duquesne Field.

Despite a ninth-inning scoring drive, Pittsburgh came up short, 9-8, in Big East Conference action against West Virginia April 15 in the Three Rivers series opener.

After a scoreless first inning, the Panthers answered the Mountaineers' three runs with four runs on four hits in the second. Bill Brown (Deer Lakes, Pa./Deer Lakes), Harry Ciavarella (Moscow, Pa./North Pocono) and David Hoopes (Hershey, Pa./Lower Dauphin) loaded the bases on consecutive singles, setting the stage for a three-run triple by Darrin Lenhart (Allentown, Pa./William Allen). Then, Jason Oliver (Coatsville, Pa./Coatsville Senior) drove in Lenhart with a fielder's choice, giving Pittsburgh its only advantage of the day.

The Mountaineers scored six runs to the Panthers' one in the ensuing six innings, and Pittsburgh entered the bottom of the ninth trailing, 9-5, but ready to rally. Chris Delsignore (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) started the Pittsburgh scoring drive with a triple to right center. Oliver scored him on a double, and Melucci followed suit with his fifth double of the season, advancing Oliver to third. Finally, Brown drove the Pittsburgh base runners in with his second single of the day. However, the Panthers went down with a strike out and pop up to first by their last two batters.

Delsignore led the Pittsburgh offensive, going 2-for-4 at the plate, including a triple, one run, one walk and recording one stolen base. Lenhart totaled four RBI's on one hit in three at-bats and a sacrifice. John Schultz (Pittsburgh, Pa./Carrick) went four innings and gave up nine hits, seven runs, one walk and struck out three batters in his sixth start of the season.

Pittsburgh fell, 11-0 and 12-1 in a doubleheader against Notre Dame Saturday, April 18. The third contest between the schools, scheduled for Sunday, April 19 and a game versus Kent State Thursday, April 16, were canceled due to inclement weather.

The Panthers will have the week off for finals and return to action with two road games at Youngstown State and West Virginia April 28 and 29, respectively.