Pitt
West Virginia
Pitt Closes Out Non-Conference Play at West Virginia
5/15/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Pitt Game Notes
PITTSBURGH - The University of Pittsburgh baseball team will close out non-conference action Tuesday, traveling to Granville, W.Va., for a showdown with the Mountaineers of West Virginia at Monongalia County Ballpark.
First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m., as Pitt will square off with one of the nation's top RPI teams.
HOW TO FOLLOW
- Live Stats: StatBroadcast
- TV: WVUSports.com
LEADING OFF
Pitt (22-27, 8-19 ACC) travels south to Granville, W.Va., for a mid-week tilt with West Virginia Tuesday evening at Monongalia County Ballparks. Pitt is looking to rebound after a series sweep at the hands of NC State this weekend, as Pitt's last victory came nearly a week ago in a 3-2, 10-inning win over Youngstown State. The game will be the second of the home-and-home with the Mountaineers, as West Virginia captured an 8-4 victory at Charles L. Cost Field on March 28.
Freshman Chris Gomez will make his second start of the season for the Panthers, as the righty will appear in his 19th outing. Gomez brings in a mark of 3-2 with a 4.94 ERA. He has tossed 31.0 innings, allowing 17 earned runs off 34 hits and 15 walks, striking out 24.
Offensively, the Panthers put together a rather productive weekend, scoring 16 runs off 30 hits against the Wolfpack. On the season, freshman Alex Amos is pacing the Panthers' offense, hitting at a .297 clip with a team-best .447 on-base percentage. First baseman Caleb Parry leads the squad with 43 RBIs, while Jacob Wright boasts the top slugging percentage at .470.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA
The Mountaineers enter the week on a three-game win streak, capturing a pair of weekend victories over Gardner-Webb and a mid-week win over Penn State at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. West Virginia currently ranks 20th in the nation in RPI, having captured a series win over then third-ranked TCU, No. 10 Baylor and No. 23 Oklahoma State, in addition to wins over nationally ranked Coastal Carolina and Texas Tech.
The Mountaineers will start righty Isaiah Kearns, as the freshman is making his second start against the Panthers this season. Kearns brings a mark of 4-0 with a 6.67 ERA into the outing, having tossed 29.2 innings, both as a starter and in relief. He has allowed 22 earned runs off 35 hits and 14 walks, fanning 27.
Kyle Davis has been the leader of the Mountaineer offense this season, hitting .324 with a team-high 39 RBIs and a whopping .537 slugging percentage. Ivan Gonzalez (.320) and Cole Austin (.308) are also hitting above the .300 mark, while the WVU squad sits at .285 as a team.
SERIES WITH WEST VIRGINIA
This will be the 155th all-time meeting between the two programs in a series dating back to the 1939 season. The Mountaineers hold an 81-73-0 all-time advantage and are winners of five of the last seven, dating back to the 2014 season.
Last year, the two teams split the series as Pitt captured a 4-1 decision on the road and the Mountaineers earned a 10-4 win at Charles L. Cost Field. West Virginia earned an 8-4 win earlier this season in Pittsburgh. Indicative of the series of late, the home team has not won a decision since West Virginia claimed a 6-3 win over Pitt on March 25, 2014.
FRANK'S RED HOT
Redshirt junior Frank Maldonado put together an impressive offensive campaign against ACC rival Georgia Tech, going 7-9 in the three games, hitting at a .778 average. The outfielder did not register an out until his third plate appearance of the series finale as he recorded two RBIs, two doubles, two walks and two hit by pitches.
The performance continued to build on an offensive surge for Maldonado who saw his 10-game hit-streak and 16-game reached base streak come to an end in the series finale against NC State.
Over the last eight outings prior to the series with the Wolfpack, he hit .552 (16-29) with eight RBIs, three doubles, one home run, three walks, two stolen bases and four hit by pitches, in addition to a sacrifice fly and just one strikeout. He had an on-base percentage of .622 and a slugging percentage of .759 over the eight games, both team bests.
FLYING 'EM HOME
In the opening game of Pitt's weekend series with Georgia Tech, senior shortstop P.J. DeMeo recorded three sacrifice flies, setting a new Pitt record for sacrifice flies by an individual in a single game.
WHO'S STREAKING
Jacob Wright brings in the longest active hit-streak, sitting at eight games. Teammates Caleb Parry and Nick Banman each bring in five-game marks, while Nico Popa sits at four. Frank Maldonado put together the longest streak of the season, as his 10-game stretch was snapped in the finale against NC State on Sunday.
Wright has reached base in 20 consecutive outings, the longest by any Panther this season. Parry (18) and Alex Amos (13) each bring in double-digit streaks. Maldonado (16), Yaya Chentouf (11) and P.J. DeMeo (10) have all put together double-digit marks as well.
UP NEXT
Pitt will close out the regular season Thursday-Saturday, traveling to Winston-Salem, N.C., to take on No. 19 Wake Forest in the season finale.
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