Saturday, February 23
Spartanburg, SC
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Hammer Strikes Out 10 in 6-3 Win over USC Upstate
2/23/2019 7:37:00 PM | Baseball
Panthers Defeat Spartans in Wofford-USC Upstate Tournament
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Sloppy conditions didn't stop the University of Pittsburgh baseball team Saturday afternoon as the Panthers captured a 6-3 victory over USC Upstate in their first game of the Wofford-USC Upstate Tournament at Harley Park.
Pitt (2-3, 0-0 ACC) would work around inclement weather and multiple rain delays to earn the victory over the Spartans, as the tournament's schedule has seen modifications due to inclement weather.
"Today was a great challenge for our team to stay mentally focused and not worry about the things we can't control, like the weather," said head coach Mike Bell. "The focus and fight was there from first pitch to last pitch. As a staff, we preach about a pitch for pitch, inning for inning mentality, and our guys did that today from start to finish. It was a great team win."
The Panthers struck early, capitalizing on some sloppy defensive plays to take a 4-0 lead in the opening inning. With two outs, Ron Washington Jr. would reach on an error in center field, plating Cole MacLaren, who had taken first after being hit by a pitch. An error at second would allow David Yanni to reach, bringing home Washington and giving the Panthers a 2-0 advantage.
Nico Popa would use the next at bat to lace a double into left field, bringing Yanni home. Sky Duff plated Popa on his first collegiate hit, a single through the left side, as the Panthers took a lead they would not surrender.
Pitt starter Dan Hammer (2-0) was again spectacular, holding the Spartans off the board and without a hit through the first two innings. Upstate would score in the third, after a leadoff single up the middle and a balk put a runner in scoring position for another single up the middle, setting the score at 4-1 in favor of the Panthers. The Spartans would add another in the fifth off reliever Derek West, cutting the Pitt advantage to 4-2.
A two-spot in the sixth would shift the momentum back in the Panthers' favor, reclaiming the four-run advantage. Duff and Andres Antonini got things started with back-to-back singles, allowing Bryce O'Farrell to plate a man on a single up the middle. A sacrifice bunt by Connor Perry put both runners in scoring position and a sacrifice fly by MacLaren gave the Panthers the 6-2 lead.
The Spartans got one back in the bottom of the sixth after an error and single scored a man, concluding the scoring on the afternoon as the Panthers walked away with the 6-3 win.
Hammer wrapped up his afternoon with 10 strikeouts, a new career high, in just 4.0 innings. The junior allowed a lone run off two hits and one walk to earn his second straight victory. West also tossed 4.0 innings, allowing an unearned run off four hits and one walk, striking out six. Closer Chase Smith earned his first save of the season, using just 11 pitches to retire the side in the ninth, tallying one strikeout.
As a staff, the Panthers pitchers retired 17 batters via strikeout, the most of the season. Hammer's 10 strikeouts mark the first time a Pitt pitcher has struck out 10 batters since Matt Pidich retired 10 via strikeout against LIU Brooklyn on April 28, 2018.
Offensively, the Panthers were led by Duff's 2-4 performance as the rookie added a run and RBI. O'Farrell finished the outing 2-3 with an RBI as six Panthers recorded at least one hit.
Pitt returns to action tomorrow, taking on Bucknell at 11 a.m. to conclude the Wofford-USC Upstate Tournament.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
Pitt (2-3, 0-0 ACC) would work around inclement weather and multiple rain delays to earn the victory over the Spartans, as the tournament's schedule has seen modifications due to inclement weather.
"Today was a great challenge for our team to stay mentally focused and not worry about the things we can't control, like the weather," said head coach Mike Bell. "The focus and fight was there from first pitch to last pitch. As a staff, we preach about a pitch for pitch, inning for inning mentality, and our guys did that today from start to finish. It was a great team win."
The Panthers struck early, capitalizing on some sloppy defensive plays to take a 4-0 lead in the opening inning. With two outs, Ron Washington Jr. would reach on an error in center field, plating Cole MacLaren, who had taken first after being hit by a pitch. An error at second would allow David Yanni to reach, bringing home Washington and giving the Panthers a 2-0 advantage.
Nico Popa would use the next at bat to lace a double into left field, bringing Yanni home. Sky Duff plated Popa on his first collegiate hit, a single through the left side, as the Panthers took a lead they would not surrender.
Pitt starter Dan Hammer (2-0) was again spectacular, holding the Spartans off the board and without a hit through the first two innings. Upstate would score in the third, after a leadoff single up the middle and a balk put a runner in scoring position for another single up the middle, setting the score at 4-1 in favor of the Panthers. The Spartans would add another in the fifth off reliever Derek West, cutting the Pitt advantage to 4-2.
A two-spot in the sixth would shift the momentum back in the Panthers' favor, reclaiming the four-run advantage. Duff and Andres Antonini got things started with back-to-back singles, allowing Bryce O'Farrell to plate a man on a single up the middle. A sacrifice bunt by Connor Perry put both runners in scoring position and a sacrifice fly by MacLaren gave the Panthers the 6-2 lead.
The Spartans got one back in the bottom of the sixth after an error and single scored a man, concluding the scoring on the afternoon as the Panthers walked away with the 6-3 win.
Hammer wrapped up his afternoon with 10 strikeouts, a new career high, in just 4.0 innings. The junior allowed a lone run off two hits and one walk to earn his second straight victory. West also tossed 4.0 innings, allowing an unearned run off four hits and one walk, striking out six. Closer Chase Smith earned his first save of the season, using just 11 pitches to retire the side in the ninth, tallying one strikeout.
As a staff, the Panthers pitchers retired 17 batters via strikeout, the most of the season. Hammer's 10 strikeouts mark the first time a Pitt pitcher has struck out 10 batters since Matt Pidich retired 10 via strikeout against LIU Brooklyn on April 28, 2018.
Offensively, the Panthers were led by Duff's 2-4 performance as the rookie added a run and RBI. O'Farrell finished the outing 2-3 with an RBI as six Panthers recorded at least one hit.
Pitt returns to action tomorrow, taking on Bucknell at 11 a.m. to conclude the Wofford-USC Upstate Tournament.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hammer, Dan (2-0)
L: MARKS, Jordan (0-2)
S: Smith, Chase (1)
Batting:
2B: Washington, Jr., Ron 1 ; Popa, Nico 1
RBI: MacLaren, Cole 1 ; Popa, Nico 1 ; Duff, Sky 1 ; O'Farrell, Bryce 1
SH: Perry, Connor 2
SF: MacLaren, Cole 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MacLaren, Cole 1 ; Washington, Jr., Ron 1 ; Yanni, David 1 ; Popa, Nico 1 ; Duff, Sky 1 ; Antonini, Andres 1
HBP: MacLaren, Cole 1
Batting:
RBI: KIM, Andres 1 ; MATTHEWS, Jason 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McGAHA, Robby 1 ; MORGAN, Austin 1 ; MATTHEWS, Jason 1
SB: HENNESSY, Jack 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
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RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF/INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
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