Panthers baseball pounces on Penguins, 9-5

Pitt baseball snagged their third victory in a row this season with a 9-5 win over Youngstown State Tuesday night.

The softball team was also set to take on Penn State the same evening, but the game was canceled due to rain.

The Panthers (15-10, 4-8 ACC) swapped runs with the Penguins (8-18, 6-3 Horizon) through the first six innings of the game, tying at five by the bottom of the sixth inning.

Redshirt senior outfielder Frank Maldonado and redshirt sophomore infielder David Yanni contributed two RBIs apiece to the effort, and would both finish the game as top hitters — Maldonado with three and Yanni with two.

During the seventh inning, the Panthers pulled away, scoring four runs off of two singles from sophomore outfielder Nico Popa and junior catcher Cole Maclaren, and a double off of redshirt junior infielder Liam Sabino.

The game was out of reach by the end of the frame, as the Panthers led 9-5. Sophomore infielder Alex Amos led the team in runs, tacking up three in total.

On the mound, redshirt sophomore pitcher Derek West started the game, allowing three hits and four runs while striking out two in three innings on the mound. Senior pitcher TJ Pagan earned the win for the Panthers, allowing only one run and striking out four.

“It was really good to get [West] back on the mound for us,” head coach Joe Jordano said in a press release. “We need Derek to be good for us in the long run for us to be successful and I thought he gave us a pretty decent start.”

With their second game against Youngstown State — which was scheduled for Wednesday — postponed, Pitt will take on Boston College Friday in Massachusetts.