The spring seasons are in full force at Pitt. Wrestling, gymnastics and swim and dive concluded their seasons by competing in some postseason tournaments while baseball and softball marched forward in conference play.
Friday
Wrestling:
The Panthers competed on the second night of the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia. Redshirt sophomore Mac Stout earned All-American Honors by defeating Wyatt Voelker from Northern Iowa in the blood round. Stout became the 85th All-American in program history with the blood-round victory.
Stout was one of three Panthers to advance to the blood round on Friday night, with Luca Augustine and Dayton Pitzer both wrestling for a chance at All-American honors as well, but both fell short.
Baseball:
Pitt dropped the opening game of a three-game series against NC State, losing 6-2. NC State opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second. Later, junior Jackson Cooke gave the Panthers an early lead with a two-run homer in the fourth, his second consecutive game with a home run. The blast from Cooke was the only offense on the day for the Panthers, who allowed five runs in the top of the eighth.
Softball:
Pitt softball opened its three-game homestand with Georgia Tech with a win, defeating the Yellow Jackets by a score of 6-0. Graduate infielder Kaitlyn Brannstrom had a great day behind the plate, going 2-3 with a double and tallying four RBIs. Senior pitcher Kyra Pittman also shined, pitching a complete game shutout for the Panthers and dropping her ERA to 3.92 on the season.
Saturday
Women’s swim and dive:
Pitt swim and dive finished an already historic season on a high note, finishing tied for 27th in the country — its highest NCAA finish in nearly 30 years. The Panthers set seven team records at the NCAA championships in a season where records were shattered across the board. Fifth-year Sophie Yendell became Pitt’s first female All-American swimmer since 1986, getting honored for her performance in the 50 free.
Gymnastics:
The Panthers took sixth at the ACC Championships in Greensboro with a score of 195.800. On the bars, four Panthers scored at least a 9.800. Sophomore Emily Todd led the way with a 9.900.
On the vault, graduate student Elizabeth Cesarone had a strong ACC Championship debut with a 9.850, followed by first-year Camryn Chiu with a 9.800. On the floor, another four Panthers scored at least 9.800s, with junior Jaime Pratt leading the way with 9.875. Rounding out the day on the beam, junior Reyna Garvey returned from injury and led the team with a 9.850.
Baseball:
Pitt lost its second straight game against NC State by a score of 6-4, losing the series and falling to 1-4 in ACC play. Pitt outhit NC State. Senior first baseman Luke Cantwell led the team in hits with four, but the team struggled to get runners home safely. Pitt had the bases loaded in both the second and third innings but couldn’t score in both opportunities.
Softball:
Pitt narrowly lost the second game of its series against Georgia Tech by a score of 7-6. Despite a fifth-inning rally, the Panthers fell just short and fell to 11-17 on the year. Brannstrom added two more hits, including a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth. First-year pitcher Gwen Sparks had a solid outing, striking out five over 3.1 innings of work.
Women’s lacrosse:
Lacrosse lost to No. 12 Virginia by a score of 16-12, falling to 1-4 in ACC play. Pitt fought back after a slow start. It had the team down 5-0 in the first quarter but couldn’t mount a comeback against a stronger Virginia team.
Sophomore Paige Telatovich scored her first two goals of the season, and sophomore Kaitlyn Giandonato recorded a hat trick. Pitt returns to action as they head to Philadelphia to face Temple on Tuesday.
Sunday
Baseball:
Pitt avoided the sweep in an unorthodox way, defeating NC State 5-3 in eight innings. NC State forfeited the game in the eighth due to travel concerns and had to leave to not miss its flight.
Pitt took a two-run lead in the bottom of the seventh, thanks to RBIs from redshirt sophomore outfielder Logan Duffy and junior infielder Caden Dulin. Pitt heads to State College to play in-state rival Penn State on Tuesday, and the first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Softball:
The Panthers lost their series finale against Georgia Tech, getting shutout 9-0. Pitt recorded its first ACC win of the year in the series opener but lost the next two and lost the series. Pitt is now 1-8 in ACC play. Next, the Panthers head to Marshall and face off next Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.