University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
28-20, 10-16
North Carolina
39-9-1, 19-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitt | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 0 |
Dierdorf, Ligenza Homer in Saturday’s Loss to No. 2 Tar Heels
5/9/2026 3:19:00 PM | Baseball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Pitt (28-20, 10-16 ACC) fell in game two of their series at No. 2 North Carolina (39-9-1, 19-7 ACC), 12-2, in eight innings on Saturday.
In the second start of his career, true freshman Mason Ligenza hit a solo home run in his first at-bat on Saturday. Three of his six hits this season have been home runs. Leadoff man AJ Nessler continued to get on base, going 2-for-4 in game two. He has notched a hit in 38 of his 47 games played this season, recording multiple hits in 21 of those contests. Carter Dierdorf went 2-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run, his 11th long ball of the year.
Vincent Spizzoucco made his 10th start of the season and gave Pitt a scoreless top of the first inning. Joey Ciancimino tossed a scoreless second inning for the Panthers and struck out one.
The Panthers loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the first inning but came away empty-handed. AJ Nessler and Caden Dulin led off the game with back-to-back singles while Lorenzo Carrier reached on a hit-by-pitch in the first.
Pitt's middle infield turned a pair of double plays over the first two innings to keep the Tar Heels off the board.
Mason Ligenza opened the scoring in the top of the third inning with an opposite field solo home run off the scoreboard. Ligenza now has six hits as a freshman, three of which have been home runs.
North Carolina responded with three runs on two hits in the bottom half of the inning to take a 3-1 lead through three.
The Tar Heels extended their lead to three with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Carter Dierdorf hit his 11th home run of the year in the sixth to cut the North Carolina lead back to two.
North Carolina would score eight runs over the next three innings to clinch the series on Saturday afternoon with a 12-2 victory.
RHP Drew Lafferty will toe the rubber for the Panthers in Sunday's series finale. First pitch is scheduled for 1 PM.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lynch, Ryan (4-4)
L: Reiter, Brandon (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Ligenza, Mason 1 ; Dierdorf, Carter 1
RBI: Ligenza, Mason 1 ; Dierdorf, Carter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ligenza, Mason 1 ; Dierdorf, Carter 1
SB: Fenderson, Trey 1
HBP: Carrier, Lorenzo 2
Batting:
2B: Schaffner, Jake 2 ; Hynek, Colin 1
HR: Nicholson, Cooper 1 ; Howe, Tyler 1
RBI: Nicholson, Cooper 3 ; Schaffner, Jake 2 ; Gallaher, Gavin 2 ; Winslow, Macon 1 ; Hull, Owen 1 ; Howe, Tyler 2 ; Paulsen, Erik 1
SH: French, Carter 1
SF: Gallaher, Gavin 2 ; Winslow, Macon 1 ; Paulsen, Erik 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nicholson, Cooper 2 ; Schaffner, Jake 3 ; Gallaher, Gavin 1 ; Hull, Owen 1 ; Howe, Tyler 1 ; French, Carter 1 ; Hynek, Colin 2 ; Paulsen, Erik 1
SB: Schaffner, Jake 1
HBP: French, Carter 1 ; Paulsen, Erik 1
