Pitt
7-8, 0-4
Notre Dame
5-11, 1-3
Panthers Fall in Series Opener with Notre Dame
3/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH - In the opening game in the University of Pittsburgh's ACC weekend with Notre Dame, a late offensive surge from the Fighting Irish lifted Notre Dame to a 10-5 victory over Pitt at Charles L. Cost Field Friday afternoon.
In what was supposed to be a doubleheader but was moved to a single game due to inclement weather, the Panthers dropped a shootout with the Irish as seven runs in the final three frames for the Irish proved to be the difference maker.
The Panthers struck first, plating two in the bottom of the first. Jacob Wright kicked things off with a lead off triple and a single to left from Kaylor Kulina put runners on the corners with two outs for P.J. DeMeo. DeMeo would smack a double into left as Pitt took an early lead.
Notre Dame got one back in the top of the second as a solo shot Matt Vierling made it 2-1 in favor of the Panthers. The Irish would take their first lead of the game in the sixth off a solo homerun and RBI double gave the Irish a 3-2 advatnage.
Both teams plated a run in the seventh as a little small ball from the Irish made it 4-2 in their favor, with the Panthers cutting it to 4-3 off a Kulina sacrifice bunt RBI.
Notre Dame scored four in the eighth as a grand slam extended its lead. Pitt would get two back in the eighth as they kept their chances alive. Frank Maldonado led off with a single to left, coming home on a DeMeo triple. Nick Banman would ground out to the shortstop to bring home DeMeo as the Panthers found themselves down 8-5.
The Irish added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth as an RBI single and a walk with the bases loaded gave Notre Dame the 10-5 lead they would not surrender.
RJ Freure earned his first loss of the season, falling to 2-1 as he went 2.1 innings, allowing four hits, three runs, two earned runs, two walks and a pair of strikeouts. Pitt starter Josh Mitchell got a no decision after tossing 4.1 innings, allowing one earned run off four hits and two walks, fanning four.
Offensively, DeMeo led the way, going 2-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Kulina also had a two-hit afternoon, going 2-3 with a pair of RBIs, a walk and a run scored.
With the loss, Pitt falls to 7-8, 0-4 ACC. Game two will take place on Saturday at noon with the season finale set for noon on Sunday. Righty Matt Pidich is set to take the mound for the Panthers tomorrow as Pitt searches for its first ACC win of the season.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: B Bielak (1-3)
L: Freure, RJ (2-1)
Batting:
2B: J Johnson 1 ; P McDonald 1
HR: K Fiala 1 ; M Vierling 1 ; J Shepski 1
RBI: J Johnson 1 ; K Fiala 1 ; N Podkul 1 ; M Vierling 1 ; P McDonald 1 ; R Lidge 1 ; J Shepski 4
SH: K Fiala 1 ; J Shepski 1
Base Running:
RUNS: K Fiala 1 ; M Vierling 2 ; D Jung 1 ; P McDonald 1 ; E Gilgenbach 1 ; C Daily 1 ; R Lidge 2 ; J Shepski 1
SB: M Vierling 1 ; D Jung 1
CS: M Vierling 1
Batting:
2B: DeMeo, P.J. 1
3B: Wright, Jacob 1 ; DeMeo, P.J. 1
RBI: Kulina, Kaylor 2 ; DeMeo, P.J. 2 ; Banman, Nick 1
SH: Kulina, Kaylor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wright, Jacob 1 ; Kulina, Kaylor 1 ; Maldonado, Frank 1 ; DeMeo, P.J. 1 ; Amos, Alex 1
HBP: Maldonado, Frank 1
