Pitt
7-3
UNC Greensboro
5-5
Pitt’s Comeback Falls Short in Series Finale at UNC Greensboro
3/2/2025 5:43:00 PM | Baseball
Greensboro, NC – The Panthers battled back late in their series finale at UNC Greensboro but would fall short, dropping Sunday's contest 13-11.
Pitt erased a four-run deficit in the eighth inning and tied Sunday's game at 10. With two outs, the Panthers scored four runs on four hits as they clawed all the way back. UNC Greensboro answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning and Pitt's late-inning rally was stopped.
Luke Cantwell notched his second three-hit game of the season on Sunday afternoon going 3-3 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored. Caden Dulin was one of four Panthers with multiple hits today as he went 2-4 with a walk and run scored. AJ Nessler and Ryan Zuckerman would each go 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI as well. Lorenzo Carrier hit a crucial three-run homer in the top of the eighth inning for his third long ball of the year.
Eight Panthers batted in the top of the first inning, plating three runs on three hits right out of the gate to jump to an early three-run cushion. Luke Cantwell led off the game with his 14th walk of the year, Caden Dulin collected his fifth hit of the series on a single to right and Lorenzo Carrier worked a walk to load the bases with nobody out. In his first at-bat this season as the cleanup man, AJ Nessler shot a single through the left side and drove in Cantwell from third. With the bases still loaded, Jayden Melendez lined a two-run single into center and gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
UNC Greensboro scratched a run across in the bottom half of the inning, the Panthers would lead 3-1 until the fourth inning.
Pitt added a pair of runs in the top of the fourth and extended their lead to four. In their first starts this season, Jackson Cooke and Logan Duffy each reached to lead off the inning. Cooke worked a walk and advanced all the way to third on a Logan Duffy single to right which was his first hit of the year. Luke Cantwell came up with runners at the corners and bounced an RBI single over the leaping first baseman and into right field that scored Cooke from third. Duffy would score in the next at-bat when Caden Dulin hit into a 4-6-3 double play as the Panthers now led 5-1.
The Spartans plated six runs in the bottom half of the inning, only two of which were earned. UNC Greensboro worked two bases loaded walks, scored on a wild pitch and hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Panthers got a run back in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI single by Gavin Miller that scored Ryan Zuckerman who singled earlier in the inning. Pitt cut the UNC Greensboro lead to just one.
UNC Greensboro added three runs over the next two innings and extended their lead to four, now leading 10-6.
The Panther offense came roaring back with two outs in the top of the eighth inning and scored four runs on four hits to knot the game at 10. Luke Cantwell began Pitt's late rally with a two-out single to right and Caden Dulin worked a walk that gave Pitt runners at first and second. Lorenzo Carrier followed that with a three-run missile to left center, cutting the Spartan lead to just one in the eighth. AJ Nessler continued Pitt's two-out attack with a single to short and scored when Ryan Zuckerman's double short hopped the rightfield wall and tied Sunday's ballgame at 10 apiece.
UNC Greensboro regained their lead in the bottom of the eighth inning with three runs on two hits and led 13-10 going into the final frame.
Pitt did not go away quietly, scratching across a run in the top of the ninth. Jake Kendro led off the inning with a double to right center. He advanced to third on a flyout and scored on an RBI groundout by Sebastian Pisacreta. The Panthers would drop the series finale, 13-11.
The Panthers will leave Greensboro, NC and travel to UNC Asheville for a midweek game on Tuesday, March 4th at 4 PM.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rob Ready (1-1)
L: Gaines, Andrew (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Zuckerman, Ryan 1 ; Kendro, Jake 1
HR: Carrier, Lorenzo 1
RBI: Cantwell, Luke 1 ; Carrier, Lorenzo 3 ; Nessler, AJ 1 ; Zuckerman, Ryan 1 ; Melendez, Jayden 2 ; Miller, Gavin 1 ; Pisacreta, Sebastian 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cantwell, Luke 2 ; Dulin, Caden 2 ; Carrier, Lorenzo 2 ; Nessler, AJ 1 ; Zuckerman, Ryan 1 ; Kendro, Jake 1 ; Cooke, Jackson 1 ; Duffy, Logan 1
SB: Cantwell, Luke 1
HBP: Cantwell, Luke 1
Batting:
2B: Parker Wight 1 ; Luke Jenkins 1
HR: Branton Jernigan 1
RBI: Zachary Walsh 1 ; Parker Wight 1 ; Branton Jernigan 3 ; Jacob Dilley 1 ; Jose Perez 1
SF: Jacob Dilley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zachary Walsh 1 ; Luke Holland 1 ; Parker Wight 1 ; Trey Truitt 2 ; Branton Jernigan 2 ; Luke Jenkins 2 ; Tyler Steele 1 ; Jeremy Wolf 1 ; Jose Perez 2
SB: Branton Jernigan 2 ; Jeremy Wolf 1
HBP: Jeremy Wolf 1 ; Jose Perez 1
