Pitt baseball opens season with 3-1 start

Last week I wrote about the Pitt baseball team needing to step up a bit this season. While they aren't perfect, the team got off to a decent start winning three out of four games this past weekend.

Playing down in Kissimmee, FL, the Panthers defeated Delaware twice (5-3 and 3-2) and also knocked off defending Big Ten champ, Ohio State, winning 7-2. The lone loss came in a tough defeat when Pitt gave up a 4-3 lead in the ninth inning and loss to Kansas State.

Offensively, it was Alex Amos and Frank Maldonado leading the way. Amos is batting .417 to lead the team and Maldonado has a team-high six hits, is batting .353, and four of his six hits were doubles.

All four of Pitt's starters (Josh Mitchell, Josh Falk, Dan Hammer, and Matt Pidich) had solid outings. None has an ERA over 1.50 and all went at least six innings without giving up more than one earned run. It was the team's relief pitchers that ran into trouble. In only eight combined innings of work, the relievers gave up five earned runs and had the blown lead against Kansas State.

Pitt heads down to Vero Beach next weekend to play Siena three times.

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