Panthers Lose Heartbreaker in Second Round of ACC Championship

Wednesday, May 21

Durham, NC

6:10 PM

Pitt

28-27

Duke

37-18

Pitt

Duke

Panthers Lose Heartbreaker in Second Round of ACC Championship

5/21/2025 10:52:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score

DURHAM, NC - The Pitt Panthers fell to seven-seeded Duke in the second round of the ACC Baseball Championship on Wednesday evening, 4-3.

Pitt pitchers, Drew Lafferty and Patrick Gardner, delivered gutsy efforts on the mound in the loss. Lafferty made his 13th start of the season and tossed three scoreless innings before handing it off to Gardner. Lafferty struck out five and allowed just two hits over his three frames. Despite receiving the loss, left hander Patrick Gardner showed grit in his 5.1 innings in relief. Gardner struck out seven in his first relief appearance of the season.

At the plate, Lorenzo Carrier collected two more hits and drove in his sixth run of the week. Sebastian Pisacreta drove in a pair of runs for the tenth time this season.

Like they had in the first round, the Panthers loaded the bases and got on the board first in the top of the first inning. Caden Dulin was hit by a pitch, Ryan Zuckerman reached on an error and AJ Nessler worked a walk which loaded the bases in the top of the first inning for the second-straight day. Like they had in Tuesday's game vs. Louisville, Pitt struck first with Sebastian Pisacreta at the plate. Pisacreta was beamed with a 2-1 pitch that brought in the first run of the ballgame. The Panthers led 1-0 after one.

Pitt added two more runs in the top of the third inning to extend their lead to three. Caden Dulin led off the inning with a single to left center and moved up to second after Ryan Zuckerman drew a walk. Both runners moved into scoring position on an AJ Nessler groundout to first. Pisacreta drove in his second run of the day on a sacrifice fly to center that scored Dulin from third. Moving up to third on the play, Zuckerman would score on a Lorenzo Carrier RBI infield single. Carrier's RBI single was his sixth RBI of the week. Pitt led 3-0 after three.

Patrick Gardner made his first relief appearance of the season in the bottom of the fourth inning, inheriting runners on first and second with no one out. Gardner struck out the first batter he faced and then induced an infield fly and a groundout to second to escape the jam.

Duke got their first run of the night on a double in the bottom of the fifth inning. They would only get one as centerfielder David Pedanou robbed what would have been a game-tying two-run shot for the first out of the inning. Gardner got two more quick outs, and the Panthers led 3-1 through five. The Blue Devils added another run on a long ball in the seventh which cut Pitt's lead to one.

Gardner struck out two more in the eighth as the Panthers went into the ninth up a run.

Duke led off the bottom of the ninth with a game-tying solo home run to left center. An error, a bloop single and an intentional walk loaded the bases with one out for the Blue Devils who would bring home the winning run on a walk-off walk. Pitt fell in the second round of the ACC Baseball Championship, 4-3.