Panthers Advance to Quarterfinal with Win over Wake Forest

Wednesday, May 20

Charlotte, NC

9 PM

Pitt

32-23

Wake Forest

38-19

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Pitt	0	3	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	7	9	0
Wake Forest	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	9	2

Panthers Advance to Quarterfinal with Win over Wake Forest

5/21/2026 3:30:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Pitt Panthers (32-23) defeated Wake Forest (38-19) in the second round of the ACC Baseball Championship, 7-4, on Wednesday night.

The Panthers' patience at the plate was paramount on Wednesday, working eleven walks and scoring three runs on either a passed ball or wild pitch.

With the win, Pitt will play the No. 3 seed Florida State in the quarterfinal round on Friday night at 7 PM. The Panthers are the only double-digit seed remaining in the tournament.

It is just the third time that Pitt has won multiple games in the ACC Baseball Championship. The Panthers are now 9-7 during ACC postseason play.

Drew Lafferty gave the Panthers a stellar start on the mound, allowing just three runs and two walks over five innings. Lafferty picked up his fifth win of the year and his first in the postseason. Eddie Smink needed just four pitches to get two outs and record his fifth save of the year as he shut the door on the Demon Deacons. Daniel McAuliff was lights out in the relief, bridging the gap from Lafferty to Smink with 2.2 innings of work.

Trey Fenderson stayed hot at the plate in the ACC Baseball Championship, backing up last night's performance with a two-hit, one RBI night on Wednesday. Fenderson has five hits and eight RBI so far this week. Carter Dierdorf also collected multiple-hits tonight, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. His 57 walks are tied for the most in a single season in program history. Caden Dulin continued to thrive at the plate as he collected two more hits and drove in a run on an RBI single.

Wake Forest threatened in the bottom of the first inning, but the Panthers were able get out of the inning unscathed. With the bases full of Demon Deacons, Trey Fenderson turned a nifty double play to end the first and save at least one run.

A leadoff single from Carter Dierdorf, with walks by Sebastian Pisacreta and Joey Baran, loaded the bases for Pitt with no one out in the top of the second inning. Mason Ligenza drove in Dierdorf on an RBI fielder's choice for the game's first run. Pitt then took advantage of two Wake Forest wild pitches to take a 3-0 lead in the second inning.

Wake Forest scored one run in the second, and a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning, to knot the game at three.

Trey Fenderson led off the fifth inning with a single and scurried around the bases all the way to third on a failed pickoff attempt at first base. For the third time in the game, the Panthers scored on a Demon Deacon miscue, this time on a passed ball to regain the lead. A scoreless fifth by Drew Lafferty kept it a 4-3 ballgame.

The Panthers added a run in the top of the sixth inning to extend their lead to two. After two quick outs, back-to-back doubles from Kai Wagner and Trey Fenderson gave Pitt some insurance. With Wagner at second, Trey Fenderson drove in his eighth RBI of the tournament on an RBI double to left center. Pitt led 5-3 through six after Daniel McAuliff stranded the game-tying run at second base with a strikeout to end the inning.

Pitt plated a pair of runs in the seventh to take a 7-3 lead. Joey Baran walked and went first to third on Jackson Cooke's pinch-hit single to center. AJ Nessler would drive in Baran in the next at-bat on an RBI groundout to second. Now pinch-running at second base, Derrick Tarpley Jr. scored with ease on Caden Dulin's RBI single as the Panthers took a four-run lead into the eighth inning.

Eddie Smink came out of the bullpen to get the final two outs to earn his fifth save of the season and advance the Panthers to the quarterfinal round.

Pitt will face No. 3 seed Florida State on Friday night at 7 PM with a trip to the semifinal round on the line. Pitt has advanced to the semifinal round twice since 2018.