Pitt Comeback Falls Short at No. 20 NC State

Sunday, March 10

Raleigh, NC

1 PM

Pitt

6-7, 0-3

NC State

15-0, 3-0

Pittsburgh

NC State

Pitt Comeback Falls Short at No. 20 NC State

3/10/2019 5:06:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Season Statistics (PDF)Box Score (PDF)

Yanni Homers as Panthers Fall to Undefeated Wolfpack

RALEIGH, N.C. – The University of Pittsburgh baseball team's late rally was halted by undefeated NC State, as the Panthers dropped a 6-5 decision to the 20th-ranked Wolfpack at Doak Field at Dail Park in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday afternoon.

"Overall, I thought our offense and our team showed a lot of grit and fight today, battling back twice and having the tying run in scoring position in the ninth against a very good NC State team," said head coach Mike Bell. "They showed why they are 15-0. They played well in all phases of the game all weekend long."

NC State jumped out to an early lead, plating two in the first and one in the second to take a 3-0 advantage that it would hold until the sixth inning.

The Panthers (6-7, 0-3 ACC) would tie things up in that frame as David Yanni launched his second homer of the season, a two-run shot over the right field wall to score Chris Cappas and Cole MacLaren.

The Wolfpack, however, would respond, regaining the lead with a two-run bottom of the seventh that put the advantage at 5-3 in their favor. They would extend that lead to 6-3 in the seventh after a bases loaded walk.

Pitt chipped away at the deficit in the eighth, putting together a two-run inning to cut the lead to one. A one-out double down the left field line by Connor Perry got things going, as he would move to third on a wild pitch. With two away, Ron Washington Jr. laced a single into right, taking second on an error in the field. Yanni's fifth double of the season would bring him home.

The Panthers offense stayed alive in the ninth as a single off the bat of Andres Antonini got things going, but Pitt was unable to bring pinch runner Luca Lotito home, as the Panthers fell to NC State in the series finale.

Junior David Moore (1-2) earned his second loss of the season, tossing 1.2 innings of relief. Sophomore Cappas got the start, going 1.1 innings before being relieved by freshman Billy Corcoran, who was again solid out of the pen. Corcoran would hold the Wolfpack to just one hit in 2.2 innings, fanning a pair in his second outing of the weekend. Veterans Chase Smith and Derek West also saw action out of the pen for the Panthers.

Offensively, Yanni led the way, going 2-4 with four RBI and a run scored, collecting a homer and a double. Washington Jr. extended his hit-streak to 11 games, going 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

The Panthers will make their home debut this week, kicking off a five-game stretch at Charles L. Cost Field. Pitt will host rival Penn State Tuesday at 3 p.m. before welcoming Youngstown State Wednesday at 3 p.m. ACC action at Cost Field gets underway the following weekend, as the Panthers host Coastal foe Virginia Tech March 15-17.

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