ACC Coastal Standings
1. Miami 13-2, 26-6
2. Virginia 9-6, 26-6
3. Virginia Tech 7-6 20-8
4. Pitt 7-7 18-12
5. North Carolina 7-8, 21-11
6. Georgia Tech 7-8, 21-12
7. Duke 3-12, 13-19
Weekly recap (April 4-April 10)
April 6: @Youngstown State, Win 9-1
April 8: @Boston College, Win 13-3
April 9: @Boston College, Loss 9-8
April 10: @Boston College, Win 10-9
Mother Nature played a role in Pitt’s schedule this week. The Panthers' Tuesday game with Kent State was called off due to inclement weather. Later on in the week, Pitt’s Saturday game at Boston College was delayed for about three hours. Such as life for a Northern school in college baseball.
While the weather outside was chilly, the Pitt offense remained warm this week by picking up three wins to just one loss, and claimed its third straight ACC series victory.
On Wednesday, Pitt traveled a few hours west to take on Youngstown State and the Panthers exploded in the third inning to take control of the game. Pitt plated six runs in the frame with Bryce Hulett knocking in a pair on a double. Jack Anderson also had an RBI double, before Tommy Tavarez crushed a three-run bomb to left field.
Sky Duff had a first inning homer as well, and the Panthers added a pair of insurance runs later in the game, but it was the third inning that put Pitt in a comfortable position. The Panthers employed a bullpen type game with six pitchers logging innings. Brady Devereux earned the win after pitching 2 2/3 innings of scoreless ball.
Pitt then shipped up to Boston for a three-game set with the Boston College Eagles over the weekend. The Panthers looked sharp in the first game thanks to another strong offensive outburst. Pitt won 13-3, collected 16 hits, including nine extra base hits. The Panthers tagged Boston College Friday night starter Joe Mancini for 9 earned runs as he did not make it out of the sixth inning.
Ron Washington Jr. and Tommy Tavarez each doubled and homered in the game. Washington finished with three hits, as did center fielder Jordan Anderson.
Tavarez, Jeffrey Wehler, Tatem Levins, and CJ Funk all had two hits apiece. The offense was more than enough for Matt Gilbertson, who allowed three runs and scattered 10 hits over seven innings. He struck out four and did not walk a batter as he improved to 5-2 on the year. Quin Konuszewski and Devereux each pitched a scoreless inning to preserve the win.
The Saturday game was delayed due to the weather, and the Pitt bats were a little tardy showing up as well. The Panthers fell behind 3-0 before bouncing back to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth. Levins hit a solo shot before Funk clobbered a three-run bomb.
The Eagles responded in the sixth and chased Pitt starter Logan Evans. Boston College took the lead 7-4 and added another pair of runs to make it 9-4. Looking down and out, the Pitt bats came to life. After Jack Anderson flied out to start the inning, the Panthers mounted a rally thanks to a hit batter and a pair of Boston College errors. Jeffrey Wehler launched a three-run double and came home on a Levins base hit. With the tying run on base, Pitt three-hole hitter Sky Duff grounded into a game-ending double play.
In the rubber match, it took Pitt a few innings to get going, but the offense exploded for a seven-run third inning to set the tone. Levins got things going with an RBI double, and he eventually came home on a Washington Jr. three-run shot to left field.
Boston College came back for five runs in the fifth, but Pitt was able to extend the lead out to 10-5, thanks to a Tavrez RBI double and a Jordan Anderson run producing single in the seventh.
Pitt needed all of those runs. Boston College had some success off of Pitt receiver Baron Stuart. The Panthers’ closer earned a three-inning save, but allowed three runs, including a two run homer in the ninth. He was able to strike out Boston College slugger Joe Vetrano to end the game, as Pitt escaped with a 10-9 win and claimed another ACC series win.
Top hitter of the week
Ron Washignton Jr.
The Pitt cleanup hitter went 7-for-15 in four games this week. He clobbered two home runs and is up to 9 on the season in that category. Both home runs came in the pair of ACC wins over Boston College. The senior left fielder drew three walks, scored six runs, and drove in five runs as well. His 1.110 OPS leads the Panthers this season.
Top pitcher of the week
Matt Gilbertson
The Panthers Friday night starter was not dominant against Boston College, but he was very effective. He did allow three runs and 10 hits, but he lasted seven innings and struck out four and did not walk a batter. Gilbertson is an efficient pitcher. He has logged 48.1 innings this season, third most in the ACC. He has a 5-2 record and a 2.98 ERA with 45 strikeouts to just 10 walks. Gilbertson has been nothing short of outstanding this season as the team’s ace.
Freshman on fire
Tommy Tavarez has started to work his way into the lineup more and more, and the talented first year shortstop caught fire this week. Tavarez had a pair of multi-hit games in the Boston College series. He launched a home run against Youngstown State and also in the first game of the BC series. Tavarez was likely the top position player in Pitt’s 2021 recruiting class and he’s showing why of late. On a team filled with veterans and upperclassmen, Tavarez looks like he can be a foundation piece for seasons to come.
The Week ahead
Tuesday April 12: @Kent State, 6:00 p.m.
Friday April 15: Virginia, 6:00 p.m., Cost Field
Saturday April 16: Virginia, 3:00 p.m., Cost Field
Sunday April 17: Virginia, 2:00 p.m., Cost Field
Pitt has a four-game week on tap. The Panthers will travel for a midweek game against Kent State on Tuesday, a team Pitt was supposed to face last week but was called off due to weather. The Golden Flashes are 12-14 on the season and split a four-game set with Bowling Green over the weekend.
Over the weekend, Pitt welcomes one of the best teams in the country to town. Virginia got swept by Miami over the weekend, but the Cavaliers are still among the top teams in the country. Virginia is ranked No. 6 in this week’s top 25 according to Baseball America. Sunday’s game is set to be broadcast by the ACC Network.
