Pitt baseball trounces in-state rival Penn State 11-3 at PNC Park

Pitt baseball players stand in the dugout during a game against Virginia Tech on March 24 at the Petersen Sports Complex.

Last season, Penn State waltzed into PNC Park and cruised past Pitt baseball 19-6 in a blowout win. The Nittany Lions hoped for a similar result this year, but to no avail.

Instead, the Panthers got revenge for last year’s devastating loss, trouncing the Nittany Lions 11-3 in a blowout victory of their own at PNC Park on Tuesday night.

The Panthers’ bats were hot, as the team ended the game with three total home runs. Pitt also posted nine hits en route to the 11-3 victory.

The Nittany Lions struck first, as junior infielder C.J. Pittaro scored off of a double from graduate student infielder Thomas Bramley.

But Penn State’s lead was short-lived. Senior infielder Noah Martinez and junior outfielder C.J. Funk each walloped a homerun in the third and fourth innings, respectively.

Penn State tried to rally in the top of the sixth inning, as the Nittany Lions scored another run off of an RBI double.

But the Panthers responded with force in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs to cement their dominant lead. To follow that up, graduate student outfielder Kyle Hess homered to bring in three more runs in the seventh inning.

Following the decisive sixth and seventh innings, the Panthers were able to cruise to victory, only letting up one more Nittany Lion run before the end of the game.

Junior pitcher Holden Phelps ultimately earned the victory for the Panthers after entering the game in the fourth inning.

Pitt baseball will hope to build off Tuesday night’s win as they gear up to face NC State in their final regular season series of the year. The series is set to start on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. and coverage will air on ACC Network Extra.

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