Pitt
19-20, 5-14
North Carolina
32-9, 14-8
Panthers Lose Game One to No. 8 Tar Heels
4/25/2025 10:08:00 PM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH - The Panthers (19-20, 5-14) fell in their series opener to the No. 8 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, 15-5.
Caden Dulin continued to stay hot at the plate, going 2-5 with a double and a run scored. He's now recorded two hits in each of the last three games. After replacing an injured Derrick Tarpley Jr. in the fourth inning, Julian Irizarry had the best day of his young career at the dish. Fresh off the bench, the freshman went 2-3 with two RBIs, a triple and a run scored. It was the first multiple-RBI game of his career and his second-straight game with two hits.
AJ Nessler collected two hits, two runs scored, an RBI and a double on Friday night. Luke Cantwell walked and scored a run in the fourth inning as he extended his team-high reached-base streak to 30 games. Ryan Zuckerman went 1-4 and drove Pitt's first run of the game on an RBI single.
Pitt starter Patrick Gardner struck out six over 4.1 innings but surrendered up six earned runs in his 11th start of the year.
No. 8 North Carolina hit three solo home runs across the first four innings to jump out to a 3-0 lead.
The Panthers responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth and cut the Tar Heel lead to just one. Caden Dulin led off the inning with a double off the wall in right center. After Cantwell worked a walk, Ryan Zuckerman delivered with an RBI single up the middle to put the Panthers on the board. Advancing to third on the play, Cantwell would be driven in on an AJ Nessler sacrifice fly. Pitt trailed 3-2 after four.
The Tar Heels blasted two more home runs in the next half inning and extended their lead to four. They added two runs in the top of the seventh and led 8-2.
Freshman Julian Irizarry manufactured both of Pitt's runs in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Panthers added another pair of runs. AJ Nessler led off the inning like Dulin did in the fourth with a double to right center. Irizarry blasted his first career triple off the wall in dead center and drove in Nessler. The freshman outfielder scampered home on a passed ball to score Pitt's second run of the inning. Pitt trailed North Carolina 8-4 after seven.
Irizarry continued to produce on Friday night as he drove in his second run of the game on an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Tar Heels tacked on runs in the top of the eighth and ninth innings to take the series opener, 15-5.
Up Next
Left-hander Ryan Reed looks to even the series for the Panthers. He will make his 11th start of the season on Saturday afternoon. He is two punchouts away from 100 strikeouts as a Panther.
The first 150 fans in attendance on Saturday will receive a gold Pitt baseball t-shirt. Gates open at 2 PM.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jake Knapp (9-0)
L: Gardner, Patrick (3-3)
Batting:
2B: Kane Kepley 1 ; Jackson Van De Brake 2 ; Hunter Stokely 1
HR: Luke Stevenson 2 ; Gavin Gallaher 3 ; Tyson Bass 1 ; Alex Madera 1
RBI: Jackson Van De Brake 3 ; Luke Stevenson 3 ; Gavin Gallaher 6 ; Tyson Bass 1 ; Alex Madera 1 ; Carter French 1
SF: Carter French 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kane Kepley 2 ; Jackson Van De Brake 2 ; Luke Stevenson 4 ; Gavin Gallaher 3 ; Tyson Bass 1 ; Alex Madera 2 ; Sam Angelo 1
PO: Parker McCoy 1
Batting:
2B: Dulin, Caden 1 ; Nessler, AJ 1
3B: Irizarry, Julian 1
RBI: Zuckerman, Ryan 1 ; Nessler, AJ 1 ; Irizarry, Julian 2
SF: Nessler, AJ 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dulin, Caden 1 ; Cantwell, Luke 1 ; Nessler, AJ 2 ; Irizarry, Julian 1
SB: Zuckerman, Ryan 1
