Pitt baseball surprises against No. 7 UVA, volleyball sweeps spring slate

Pitt baseball headlined the weekend taking two of three games No. 7 Virginia, setting up for an exciting end to their season. From track and field to volleyball, the Panthers had an all-around successful weekend.

Baseball

On Tuesday, the Panthers suffered a surprising 4-9 loss to Youngstown State (7-28, 3-11 Horizon), struggling on both sides of the ball. Pitt continued to falter for the rest of the week, following the performance up with a 2-5 loss to Kent State (22-10, 12-3 MAC).

Pitt (16-18, 7-9 ACC) bounced back in dramatic fashion, taking a series from No. 7 Virginia. In the process, Pitt handed Virginia its first two home losses of the year. 

The Panthers’ pitching had one of its best performances yet, holding the top offense in college baseball to nine runs in the first two games of the series. On the other side, the Pitt offense didn’t disappoint, recording 36 hits and 18 runs against an elite Cavalier pitching staff.

In the first game of the series, the Panthers set the tone with a commanding 7-5 victory. Junior infielder Justin Acal’s two-run shot in the top of the fourth put the Panthers up 4-2. His homer proved crucial, as Pitt led the rest of the game. 

Junior starting pitcher Jack Sokol had an outstanding outing, conceding three runs and striking out six during seven innings against the dynamic Cavalier offense. Senior infielder Jack Anderson and graduate student Kyle Hess also provided crucial contributions offensively with three hits each.

Pitt continued its success in Charlotte Saturday night, defeating UVA 6-4 and securing the series victory. 

Junior starting pitcher Logan Evans pitched seven strong innings for the Panthers, spearheading their game two victory. After surrendering three runs in the first, Evans shut down Virginia’s offense for six scoreless innings, striking out nine while only allowing two hits in a dominating performance. Pitt’s offense equally impressed, combining for 13 hits against a pitching staff with the second-best ERA in college baseball. Individually, Hess stood out again with his second three-hit performance of the series. 

In the season finale, the Panthers lost a hard-fought matchup 8-5. With a lineup that features seven hitters batting more than .300, Virginia’s depth shined, as six different hitters recorded an RBI. Pitt’s offense fought till the last out, as they left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth before losing the game. 

Pitt returns home Wednesday night to PNC Park where they face off against West Virginia in this year’s Backyard Brawl.

Softball

Georgia Tech (23-20, 6-12 ACC) visited the Panthers (19-19, 3-11 ACC) for a conference bout over the weekend. Pitt softball dropped the highly contested series 2-1, splitting a pair of extra-inning thrillers in the process.

On Friday night, the Panthers defeated the Yellow Jackets in a back-and-forth display of offensive firepower. In the 10-9 ballgame, both pitching staffs struggled, letting up 19 hits and 12 walks. Pitt’s offense performed well, scoring 10 runs on nine hits. 

The game came down to the bottom of the seventh with Pitt trailing 9-8. Needing a run to force extra innings, sophomore infielder Haylie Brunson delivered under pressure, tying the game at nine apiece with a clutch home run. In the following inning, senior outfielder Bailey Drapola walked it off with a solo shot of her own, securing a thrilling victory.

In the second game, Georgia Tech evened the series with a 13-11 extra-innings victory. Once again the offenses prevailed, recording 29 hits and 14 walks between the two teams. Pitt once again forced extra innings in the bottom of the seventh — this time on an RBI single from graduate student Sarah Seamans, which evened the score at 11. 

But in the top of the 10th, Georgia Tech responded with a solo home run and RBI double to take a two-run lead. Pitt fell short in the bottom of the 10th, as the Yellow Jackets retired the Panthers in short order to end the game.

Georgia Tech took the series with a 3-0 victory on Sunday. In contrast to the first two matchups, pitching dominated the series finale with both teams remaining scoreless through the first five innings. Georgia Tech broke the stalemate in the top of the sixth, scoring the only three runs of the game. 

On the stat sheet, both teams had very similar performances, each recording six hits. Pitt’s inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities set them behind, as they left 13 runners on base compared to Georgia Tech’s nine.

Pitt softball will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday in Pittsburgh with a doubleheader against Akron.

Women’s Lacrosse

Pitt lacrosse (4-11, 0-8 ACC) fell short on Friday in an ACC matchup against No. 8 Notre Dame (10-4, 5-3 ACC), falling to the Fighting Irish 18-6.

The Panthers fell behind early, as Notre Dame outscored them 8-0 in the first period.

Notre Dame played relentlessly on offense, shooting 32 times on goal. Additionally, their depth delivered with six different goal scorers. 

This game marks the end of a tough stretch for the Panthers, where they faced three of the top 10 teams in the country.

Despite the loss, the Panthers displayed some fight in the remainder of the game and were only outscored 5-4 in the second half. Sophomore attacker Ava Washington highlighted the Panthers’ efforts with a hat trick in the loss.

Pitt lacrosse travels to Clemson on Thursday, looking for their first ACC win in the regular season finale.

Volleyball

Pitt volleyball finished their spring season undefeated with a 3-1 win over Kentucky. The Panthers dropped the first set 20-25. Then the Panthers claimed the second set 25-16, featuring back-to-back blocks from redshirt senior Valeria Vazquez Gomez and sophomore Rachel Jepsen.

Track and Field

Pitt track and field participated in two events over the weekend. Part of the team stayed home to compete in the CMU Last Chance meet, while others traveled to Lewisburg to compete in the Bison Outdoor classic.

Pitt performed especially well in the throwing events over the weekend. In men’s shot put, sophomore Otoniel Badjana recorded an impressive 17.57 meter put to place first at the CMU meet, and recording the second best mark in program history. Meanwhile, sophomore Daniel Amaya achieved a personal best of 62.00 meters to take home first in the men’s hammer throw. 

The Panthers also succeeded in discus, as Badjana placed first once again, with 53.31 meters — the third-best performance in program history.

Pitt will look to build on the performance Thursday when it travels to Charlottesville to compete in the UVA challenge.