Wednesday, May 23
Durham, N.C.
7 PM
Pitt
29-25
5
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4
North Carolina
37-18
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North Carolina
2
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Pittsburgh
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Panthers Stun Top-Seeded North Carolina at ACC Championship
5/24/2018 1:03:00 AM | Baseball
Pitt Wins Pool A, Advance to Saturday’s ACC Semifinals
DURHAM, N.C. – The University of Pittsburgh baseball team battled back from two early deficits and stunned top-seeded North Carolina, 5-4, Wednesday evening at the ACC Baseball Championship at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C.
With the victory over the No. 6 Tar Heels, Pitt's first win over a top-10 team since defeating then-No. 3 North Carolina last season in Pittsburgh, the Panthers (29-25) secured a spot in in the 2018 ACC Championship semifinals as Pool A winners. Pitt will face the top team from Pool D—either Duke or Louisville—Saturday at 1 p.m. at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
"It was a great win for our program," said head coach Joe Jordano. "I'm very proud of our guys. They worked very hard. They stayed focused, had some great at-bats, and we played some blue-collar baseball today, which is what we are all about."
For the second consecutive day, freshman Chris Cappas provided a key extra-base hit for the Panthers in Pitt's decisive two-run seventh inning. With his team trailing 4-3, Cappas slapped a ball down the left field line, scoring Ron Washington Jr.
The very next pitch saw Pitt take the lead for good when Cole MacLaren perfectly executed a squeeze bunt, as Caleb Parry ran home from third, giving the Panthers a 5-4 advantage that wouldn't be relinquished by pitcher Derek West, who concluded the game with 5.0 hitless innings on the mound.
Heroic performances and clutch plays marked the win as the Panthers remain undefeated in their postseason debut as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Tar Heels (37-18) scored twice in the top of the first inning to jump out to an early lead. The Panthers responded in the bottom half of the inning with a Washington Jr. RBI single that scored David Yanni.
North Carolina posted another run in the third frame, but it could've been more if Frank Maldonado's diving catch against the fence in center with the bases loaded and two outs didn't end the threat. Immediately after the grab, Maldonado led off the bottom of the third with a double, scoring following another double by Yanni, who then was plated by a Nick Banman single to level the contest.
Pitt's RJ Freure pitched well in relief of starter Dan Hammer, but UNC retook the lead in the fifth inning on another run as West entered the game and induced a double play with the bases loaded.
That was all the Tar Heels could produce offensively as West shut the door for the final five innings, while Pitt continued to threaten at the plate before finally breaking through in the seventh inning.
It was only fitting that the game ended on another spectacular grab by Maldonado as the senior centerfielder raced back to the warning track, leaped at the wall and recorded the final out of the game to conclude a historic win for the Panthers.
Now the Panthers will have the opportunity to continue their postseason run Saturday when they play in first game of the ACC Championship semifinals against the Blue Devils or Cardinals.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
With the victory over the No. 6 Tar Heels, Pitt's first win over a top-10 team since defeating then-No. 3 North Carolina last season in Pittsburgh, the Panthers (29-25) secured a spot in in the 2018 ACC Championship semifinals as Pool A winners. Pitt will face the top team from Pool D—either Duke or Louisville—Saturday at 1 p.m. at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
"It was a great win for our program," said head coach Joe Jordano. "I'm very proud of our guys. They worked very hard. They stayed focused, had some great at-bats, and we played some blue-collar baseball today, which is what we are all about."
For the second consecutive day, freshman Chris Cappas provided a key extra-base hit for the Panthers in Pitt's decisive two-run seventh inning. With his team trailing 4-3, Cappas slapped a ball down the left field line, scoring Ron Washington Jr.
The very next pitch saw Pitt take the lead for good when Cole MacLaren perfectly executed a squeeze bunt, as Caleb Parry ran home from third, giving the Panthers a 5-4 advantage that wouldn't be relinquished by pitcher Derek West, who concluded the game with 5.0 hitless innings on the mound.
Heroic performances and clutch plays marked the win as the Panthers remain undefeated in their postseason debut as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Tar Heels (37-18) scored twice in the top of the first inning to jump out to an early lead. The Panthers responded in the bottom half of the inning with a Washington Jr. RBI single that scored David Yanni.
North Carolina posted another run in the third frame, but it could've been more if Frank Maldonado's diving catch against the fence in center with the bases loaded and two outs didn't end the threat. Immediately after the grab, Maldonado led off the bottom of the third with a double, scoring following another double by Yanni, who then was plated by a Nick Banman single to level the contest.
Pitt's RJ Freure pitched well in relief of starter Dan Hammer, but UNC retook the lead in the fifth inning on another run as West entered the game and induced a double play with the bases loaded.
That was all the Tar Heels could produce offensively as West shut the door for the final five innings, while Pitt continued to threaten at the plate before finally breaking through in the seventh inning.
It was only fitting that the game ended on another spectacular grab by Maldonado as the senior centerfielder raced back to the warning track, leaped at the wall and recorded the final out of the game to conclude a historic win for the Panthers.
Now the Panthers will have the opportunity to continue their postseason run Saturday when they play in first game of the ACC Championship semifinals against the Blue Devils or Cardinals.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: West, Derek (3-4)
L: Josh Hiatt (3-2)
Batting:
RBI: Kyle Datres 1 ; Ike Freeman 1 ; Brandon Martorano 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dallas Tessar 1 ; Michael Busch 1 ; Kyle Datres 1 ; Brandon Riley 1
SB: Kyle Datres 1
Batting:
2B: Maldonado, Frank 1 ; Yanni, David 2 ; Cappas, Chris 1
RBI: Yanni, David 1 ; Washington, Jr., Ron 1 ; Banman, Nick 1 ; Cappas, Chris 1 ; MacLaren, Cole 1
SH: MacLaren, Cole 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Maldonado, Frank 1 ; Yanni, David 2 ; Washington, Jr., Ron 1 ; Parry, Caleb 1
HBP: Cappas, Chris 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF/RHP
/ BaseballLHP/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballINF
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