Panthers Win Finale Thriller to Capture Series Over No. 11 UNC

Saturday, May 11

Pittsburgh, PA

1 PM

Pitt

19-31, 6-20

North Carolina

36-14, 16-10

North Carolina

Pittsburgh

Panthers Win Finale Thriller to Capture Series Over No. 11 UNC

5/11/2019 8:57:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Season Statistics (PDF)Game 1 Box Score (PDF)Game 2 Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

Late Comeback Propels Panthers to Series Win

PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh baseball team completed a come-from-behind win in the final game of the weekend series against No. 11 North Carolina, capturing the game and the series Saturday afternoon at Charles L. Cost Field.

The Panthers fell in the first game of the doubleheader, but put together a resounding final game, scoring six in the final three innings to down the nationally-ranked Tar Heels.

"This was a great come from behind win," said head coach Mike Bell. "It showed a lot of resilience and fight from our team, something that we've been preaching and teaching is just battling hard for 27 outs. We did a good job of getting quality pitching from Billy [Corcoran] on the front end. They did a good job in taking the lead from us in the seventh, but our guys showed a lot of heart, resilience and fight. Bryce [O'Farrell] came up with a big bases loaded double and it was really neat to see Cole [MacLaren] put an exclamation point on it on senior day to hit the two-run home run in the ninth. It was a great series win for Panther baseball and more importantly, a great day in the growth of our program."

Game One
Despite a ninth inning surge, the Panthers fell short in the first game, dropping a 10-6 decision to the Tar Heels to even the series.

North Carolina took an early lead, scoring three through the first two frames to take a 3-0 advantage. The Tar Heels extended their advantage in the sixth with two more, before a five-run ninth seemed to put the game away.

Pitt, however, kept things interesting, scoring six in the ninth to pull within four, but was unable to complete the comeback. Sky Duff drew a leadoff walk before JC Mendez would launch a two-run homer to left field, making it 10-2.

Connor Perry would keep it close with a single to right, stealing second and moving to third on a wild pitch as David Yanni drew a walk. Kyle Hess would walk to load the bases before a bases clearing double by Zach Klapak made it 10-6.

The Tar Heels would collected two ground outs to end the threat, as they evened the series.

Dan Hammer (3-7) earned the loss, going 6.0 innings, allowing four earned runs off seven this and four walks, striking out six. William Kirwan threw 2.0 innings of relief, before Lucas Maldonado made his second appearance of the season, striking out one in 1.0 inning.

Pitt collected six hits in the outing, as Klapak's three RBI led the way.

Game Two
The finale started as a back-and-forth contest between the two teams, as North Carolina got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead in the opening frame.

A solo homer off the bat of Nico Popa tied things up in the fourth. The Panthers would take the lead in the sixth, making it a 2-1 game. Perry would send a one-out double into left center, scoring on a two-out knock from Yanni.

In the next inning the Tar Heels would go back on top, scoring two to make it 3-2 in favor of the visitors.

The Panthers would again respond, scoring three to gain a lead they would not surrender. Cole MacLaren got the inning going with a leadoff single, taking second after Hess drew a walk. A successful sacrifice bunt from Mendez moved both into scoring position, before a two-out walk again loaded the bases.

O'Farrell's hot streak would continue in the next at bat as the first baseman ripped a bases clearing double into left, giving the Panthers a 5-3 lead. The Panthers added on in the eight as MacLaren smacked a two-run homer off the scoreboard, giving Pitt the 7-3 victory.

Chase Smith (4-6) earned the victory in a 2.1 inning relief performance, allowing just two hits, striking out one. Starter Billy Corcoran put together a good outing, going 6.2 innings, allowing one earned run off six hits and two walks, striking out four.

MacLaren wrapped up the contest 2-4 with two RBI and a pair of runs scored as O'Farrell went 1-3 with three RBI. Pitt tallied eight hits in the outing, with six different players collecting at least one knock.

The Panthers will conclude games in Pittsburgh Tuesday, traveling down the street to PNC Park to host No. 21 West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl. The season will wrap up the following weekend as Pitt travels to No. 10 Georgia Tech.

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