Pitt baseball was slated to have its home opener last week against Youngstown State, but cold weather conditions in Pittsburgh caused that to be postponed. The Panthers then had to focus on undefeated North Carolina State, but it did not go well as the Wolfpack swept a three-game series.
Friday March 8
North Carolina State 4, Pitt 3
North Carolina State struck early in the series opener in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead on a fielder’s choice off Pitt starter Christian Camancho. Things settled down on both sides after that as NC State starter Jason Parker kept the Pitt bats at bay with five scoreless innings.
The tides changed in the sixth as the Panthers’ bats came to life. Nico Popa singled home Ron Washington Jr. and then Kyle Hess brought him home on a triple as Pitt grabbed a 2-1 lead.
Pitt tacked on another run in the seventh on a wild pitch. The lead would not stand as Pitt came unraveled a bit in the seventh. The Wolfpack led off the inning with a double, and then Pitt put some runners on via a walk and a hit batter and NC State took advantage to take the lead and held off Pitt in the final two innings.
Ron Washington Jr. led the Pitt offense as he was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
Saturday March 9
North Carolina State 21, Pitt 3
Pitt came ready to play initially in the second game of a three-game set against No. 20 NC State. The Panthers put up a three-spot in the first inning, highlighted by a Nico Popa triple to right to bring home Ron Washington Jr.
That’s about where all the highlights end for Pitt. North Carolina State came storming back and scored 21-unanswered runs in a commanding win over the Panthers.
The Pitt pitching staff got knocked around a bit as NC State posted 24 hits. Six players for the Wolfpack had multi-hit games led by catcher Patrick Bailey, who was 3-for-3 with three runs scored along with two runs batted in.
Coming off a masterful performance last weekend, Pitt ace Dan Hammer really struggled in this one. He allowed 8 runs (all earned) and nine hits in three innings of work.
Washington Jr. was the lone bright spot for Pitt, as he went 2-for-3 with a double.
Sunday March 10
North Carolina State 6, Pitt 5
North Carolina State was ranked No. 20 in the country for a reason coming into this series, and the Wolfpack proved it by capping off a sweep. Pitt starter Chris Cappas was chased in the second inning as North Carolina State ripped five hits off of him and posted three runs.
Billy Corcoran relieved Cappas, and he settled things down and allowed for Pitt to have a chance in this one, and the Panthers nearly came all the way back several times. David Yanni launched a three-run homer in the sixth to tie the game at 3.
North Carolina State promptly recovered and scored three runs over the next two innings to retake the lead at 6-3. Pitt once again battled back to make a game of it. Washington Jr. and Yanni both delivered run-producing hits in the eighth to make it 6-5, but Yanni was stranded on second to close out the threat.
Pitt put the tying run on in the ninth, but could not plate a run as North Carolina State held on for the series sweep. The Panthers’ record is now 6-7 (0-3) on the year.
Reaction
The main concern for this Pitt baseball team this year was the starting pitching. Pitt did not see one of their three starters make the fourth inning over the weekend, thus proving that concern to be legitimate. Pitt needs better starting pitching if it has any hopes of being competitive in this ACC schedule.
On the bright side for this team, some consistent bats have emerged and they held up against good competition over the weekend. Connor Perry, Ron Washington Jr., and Nico Popa are all hitting over .300 through 13 games this season.
Up Next
Pitt is scheduled to have it’s home opener today as in-state rival Penn State will travel East to take on the Panthers. Pitt will makeup the postponed game with Youngstown State on Wednesday and will also host ACC-foe Virginia Tech over the weekend as a part of a six-game home stand. Pitt will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak.
