Blacksburg, Virginia – Pitt suffered a 6-5 loss in the rubber match against No. 13 Virginia Tech on Saturday.
It was a real back-and-forth game with five lead changes, and the Panthers were never able to take the lead after the Hokies finally regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Five different Panther players played today, and four of them had RBIs. Tyler Bischke He improved to 2 wins and 4 losses in RBIs, and recorded his 9th multi-hit game, the most on the team this season. Jake Kendro He also went 2-4, driving in a run and scoring a point. Jayden Melendez He went 1-3 today with two walks and scored two of the Panthers' five points. CJ Funk, Dom Popa and Luke Cantwell Each had a hit and an RBI.
left handed ryan reed Pitt got off to a strong start, allowing just three earned runs in 4.1 innings. Although he suffered losses, Ethan Failovd It was an incredible relief for the Panthers. Fairobed pitched 3.2 innings, giving up just two runs on four hits, avoiding a critical pinch in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Keaton Burrows The Panthers made two nifty double plays in the first two innings, but the Hokies scored one run in the bottom of the second with a timely hit to left, taking a 1-0 lead after the second inning.
The Panthers scored two runs of their own in the top of the third inning. Jake Kendro He led off the inning with a bunt single to third base. Turner Grau He reached safely on the fielder's choice, and Kendro also advanced to second base. In a situation where there is one out and runners on first and second base, Dom Popa He hit Kendro with an RBI single over the right field, bringing the game to one point.rear Jayden Melendez The bases were loaded with a walk and a walk. Luke Cantwell A 1-0 heater hit and the Panthers took their first lead of the day.
Virginia Tech also scored an RBI run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score, tying the game at two points.
Pitt quickly responded again, scoring in the top of the fifth inning to regain the lead. Jayden Melendez He drew his second walk of the game, Luke Cantwell Place the singles in the middle, CJ Funk The hit landed right in front of right field, giving the Panthers a 3-2 lead.
The Hokies fought back with two home runs in the second half of the inning, leading 4-3 at the end of the fifth inning.
For the third time today, after giving up a run in the previous inning, Pitt quickly fought back with one of their own. Justin Fogel He singled to center field, giving him his fourth hit of the weekend and leading off the inning. Jake Kendro After that, the ball appeared to be caught in the left field field, but it actually went over the wall and became a two-run home run. However, due to confusion over whether he caught the ball or not, Kendro passed Vogel on the basepaths and ended up being called on the play. Vogel's RBI still counted, so Kendro was officially credited with an RBI, and the game was tied 4-4 at the end of the sixth inning.
Pitt scored one more run in the top of the seventh inning to regain the lead for the third time in the game. Jayden Melendez He led off the inning with a single and advanced to second base. Luke Cantwell First grounder. Melendez was second. Tyler Bischke He hit an RBI single from the left side to put Pitt back in front. The Panthers led 5-4 at the end of the seventh inning.
Virginia Tech threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning, scoring two runs on two squeezes to take the lead and ultimately take the series with a 6-5 victory.
