Panther Baseball Ends Season on a High Note

5/12/1998

Team receives weekly conference honors.

The Pittsburgh Panther baseball team closed out its season with several stellar performances while capturing victories in four of its last seven contests, including two Big East victories in its final week of action, and receiving weekly conference honors.

Senior right-handed pitcher Bob Balazentis (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) was named the Big East Conference Pitcher of the Week Monday, May 11 for his performance against conference-rival Seton Hall Monday, May 4 at Trees Field. Balazentis threw his fourth complete game of the year while leading the Panthers to an 11-0 shutout, and giving up four hits, three walks and striking out a season-high 11 batters.

The Panthers tallied four runs in the first inning when second baseman Harry Ciavarella (Moscow, Pa./North Pocono) stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. Seton Hall's Shawn Turkington hit Ciavarella with a wild pitch, his second of the day, sending home Jason Oliver (Coatsville, Pa./Coatsville Senior). David Hoopes (Hershey, Pa./Lower Dauphin) hit a solid single to right center, driving in Ciavarella and Lou Melucci (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights). Pittsburgh added its fourth run on a double steal with Hoopes advancing to second and Ciavarella sliding in before the tag at home. In the second inning, Chris Delsignore (Johnstown, Pa./Westmont Hilltop) hit a single, setting the stage for a two- run Oliver home run over the left field fence, his third of the season. Steve Dickinson (Beaver Falls, Pa./Blackhawk) followed suit in the fifth with two outs and smacked another one out of left field, driving in Charlie Stafford (Edinboro, Pa./General McLane) and Hoopes, who reached on a single and an error, respectively. Lenhart drove in the Panthers' final run by Oliver in the sixth with a double deep into center field. Offensively, Oliver was a force, going 4-for-5 and recording three runs, two RBI's and one home run. Delsignore and Melucci each went 2-for-5 at the plate, scoring one and two runs, respectively.

The Panthers split a twin bill with the Pirates Sunday, May 3, losing the first game, 8-0, and winning the nightcap, 2-1. Pittsburgh capped its winning streak with a 14-9 victory at Kent Tuesday, May 5, in which the Panthers knocked out a season-high five home runs, including two each by Dickinson and Lenhart. Dickinson's pair of homers tied him for the all-time school career home runs record with 20.

Pittsburgh lost a doubleheader at Akron Wednesday, May 6, 4-3 and 8-7, before coming up short, 5-3, to Ohio State Thursday, May 7. The Panthers finished their 1998 season with a league match-up at Boston College Saturday, May 9 and lost, 12-9. Despite their final four losses, the Panthers out-hit their opponents, 36-28.