Pitt
13-7
Kent State
8-10
Panthers' Bats Stay Hot, Pitt Tops Kent State, 17-13
3/19/2025 7:01:00 PM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH – The Panthers' (13-7, 1-2) offensive explosion continued into Wednesday's contest against Kent State as Pitt erupted with double-digit runs for the third-straight game in their 17-13 win.
Pitt's 17 runs today ties their mark for the most in a game this season. They have done so three times already this season (Eastern Michigan 2/16, YSU 3/12, Kent State 3/19). The Panthers have combined for 45 runs over their last three games.
Everyone in the Panther lineup recorded a hit on Wednesday.
Pitt's RBI leader, Ryan Zuckerman, added to his total this afternoon, going 3-5 with two RBIs, two runs and a double. Zuckerman has 24 RBIs in 20 games this season. Pitt's top of the order in Luke Cantwell (2-4, 3 R, 2 HBP), Jayden Melendez (2-5, 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B) and Lorenzo Carrier (2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR) all had two-hit days on Wednesday.
Jackson Cooke started the game with a bang when he hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning. Cooke would drive in a career-high five RBIs on the afternoon. Caden Dulin hit his first home run of the season, and his first as a Panther, with a towering drive off the scoreboard in left in the bottom of the sixth inning. He went 1-2 with three RBIs, three runs scored and two walks.
Matt Porter earned his first win of the season with four strong innings in relief. Porter struck out four batter and allowed four earned runs on four hits. Daniel McAuliff relieved him and allowed just one run on two hits while also striking out a pair over the final two innings.
Kent State grabbed an early lead in the top of the first inning on a two-run home run to center.
The Panthers however got their offense rolling in the bottom half of the inning with a five-spot which included a grand slam from Jackson Cooke. With Luke Cantwell and Jayden Melendez reaching on a hit-by-pitch and single respectively, Ryan Zuckerman continued his hot streak in the month of March with an RBI double off the top of the left field wall. Cantwell scored and Melendez was held up at third as Pitt cut the Kent State lead in half.
Caden Dulin worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases for Jackson Cooke. Cooke lined a grand slam down the left field line and gave the Panthers their first lead of the ballgame. Cooke's grand slam was his second home run of the season.
Pitt added three more runs in the second inning and led 8-2. With Cantwell on second following another hit-by-pitch and stolen base, Melendez drove him in on a double down the left field line. In the next at bat, Lorenzo Carrier lined his second home run of the week on a rope to right center.
The Golden Flashes and Panthers exchanged seven-run outputs across the third and fourth innings. Kent State scored seven runs over those third and fourth frames and the Panthers answered with seven runs of their own in the bottom half of the fourth. The Golden Flashes
Pedanou and Cantwell singled while Melendez walked to load the bases with no one out. Nessler worked and RBI walk that brought Pitt's first run of the inning. Ryan Zuckerman drove in his second run of the ballgame on an RBI single to center. With the bases still loaded, Dulin and Cooke each walked as Pitt added another pair of runs. Jake Kendro flew out to center and drove in Zuckerman on a sacrifice fly. Pitt's final run of the fourth was on an RBI bunt single up the first base line by David Pedanou. The Panthers led 15-9 after four.
Caden Dulin added two runs over the sixth and seventh innings as Pitt reached the 17-run mark for the third time this season. Dulin launched his first home run of the season and his first as a Panther in the bottom of the sixth inning. He drove in Nessler on an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to tie Pitt's season-high for runs scored in a game with 17.
Kent State added four in the eighth as the Panthers went on to win Wednesday's midweek matchup 17-13.
Pitt's Last Three Games (3-0)
Runs: 45
Hits: 43
Home Runs: 8
Up Next
Pitt hosts their first ACC series of the weekend as they welcome NC State for the three-game set at Charles L. Cost Field.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Porter, Matt (2-0)
L: Kolenda,Jordan (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Casey,Jake 2 ; Solitaria,Sawyer 1 ; Reese,Ripken 1
HR: Jatczak,Hayden 1 ; Casey,Jake 1 ; Klotz,Hunter 1 ; Reese,Ripken 1
RBI: Jatczak,Hayden 2 ; Casey,Jake 2 ; Solitaria,Sawyer 3 ; Klotz,Hunter 3 ; Reese,Ripken 2 ; Marshall,Brady 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jatczak,Hayden 3 ; Casey,Jake 3 ; Solitaria,Sawyer 1 ; Covas,Alejandro 1 ; Klotz,Hunter 1 ; Thompson,Matthew 1 ; Reese,Ripken 2 ; Marshall,Brady 1
Batting:
2B: Melendez, Jayden 1 ; Nessler, AJ 1 ; Zuckerman, Ryan 1 ; Kendro, Jake 1
HR: Carrier, Lorenzo 1 ; Dulin, Caden 1 ; Cooke, Jackson 1
RBI: Melendez, Jayden 1 ; Carrier, Lorenzo 2 ; Nessler, AJ 1 ; Zuckerman, Ryan 2 ; Dulin, Caden 3 ; Cooke, Jackson 5 ; Kendro, Jake 1 ; Pedanou, David 1
SF: Dulin, Caden 1 ; Kendro, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cantwell, Luke 3 ; Melendez, Jayden 3 ; Carrier, Lorenzo 2 ; Nessler, AJ 2 ; Zuckerman, Ryan 2 ; Dulin, Caden 3 ; Cooke, Jackson 1 ; Pedanou, David 1
SB: Cantwell, Luke 1 ; Nessler, AJ 1 ; Pedanou, David 1
HBP: Cantwell, Luke 2
