Panthers Outlasted By VCU In Extras, 5-4

Friday, February 27

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

7:30 PM

Pitt

2-4

VCU

2-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
VCU	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	12	0
Pitt	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	9	2

Panthers Outlasted By VCU In Extras, 5-4

2/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 28, 2015

Box Score

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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - VCU pushed across the go-ahead run on a bases loaded walk with no outs in the 12th and hung on to defeat Pitt, 5-4, in the first game of a three game series played in Myrtle Beach on Friday, Feb. 27.

The game went into the 12th with the score tied 4-4 as senior Hobie Harris came on in relief. The first four batters all reached base, bringing in the game-winning run. Cody Acker led off the inning with a single, followed by a walk, a hit batsman and another walk issued to Vimael Machin, which allowed the winning run to cross home.

Threatening with the bases still loaded and no outs, the Panthers turned to freshmanIsaac Mattson, who struck out all three batters he faced to keep it a one-run ballgame.

Pitt was retired in order in the bottom half of the 12th - the last two coming on strikeouts - as Daniel Concepcion finished off a scoreless, two-hit, six inning relief appearance to pick up the win. He also struck out nine batters.

Offensively, the Panthers were powered by juniors Alex Kowalczyk and Ron Sherman, each of whom hit two-run homers. Kowalczyk ended the game 2-for-5 and was one of two from Pitt to record a multi-hit game. He also gunned down two would-be base stealers to bring he season total to three. Freshman Charles LeBlanc was the other as he went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored.

Sophomore T.J. Zeuch earned a no decision after pitching 6.0 solid innings. He gave up four runs - three unearned - and struck out seven batters while issuing his first walk of the season in three starts. In 19.1 innings on the year, Zeuch has fanned 24 batters and allowed one free pass.

Five relievers combined to throw the final six innings and gave up just one run. Sophomore Matt Pidich continued his dominance to begin the season and stuck out five and surrendered only two hits in 3.0 innings as the first pitcher out of the bullpen. He lowered his earned run average to 0.93 and upped his strikeout to walk ratio to 8:1.

Harris was handed loss after allowing all four batters he faced to reach base, which included the winning run scoring.

Both teams exchanged runs and the lead in the first inning as VCU quickly jumped out to a 1-0 advantage only to have Pitt respond with two runs in the bottom half of the frame.

Acker led off the game by reaching first on an error by Eric Hess and moving up to second on a sacrifice bunt. With two outs, he was doubled home by Vimael Machin.

The Panthers answered back, however with a two-run homer to left by Kowalczyk to go ahead 2-1. It was both Kowalczyk's first hit as a Panther and of the season. Also coming around to score on the home run was Leblanc, who hit a one-out double to get things started.

Neither team had much going until the fourth inning when VCU evened the score with another unearned run crossing the plate. A two-out single by Matt Davis followed by an error by Sherman on a ball hit by Jimmy Kerrigan extended the inning. Walker Haymaker took advantage of the extra opportunity and drove in Davis with a single.

Sherman redeemed himself one inning later in the fifth when he came up to bat and hit a one-out, two-run bomb to put the Panthers back in front at 4-2. Redshirt freshman Frank Maldonado, who led off the inning with a single, also scored on the play.

The Rams wasted little time to tie the score again, pushing across two more runs in the top of the sixth knot the game at 4-4. Machin began the frame with a single and advanced two bases on a pair of passed balls. Following a walk to Shane Dressler and a stolen base, Kerrigan laced a two-run single to bring across the third and fourth runs of the game.

The score remained that way until VCU brought in the winning run in the 12th, but both teams had chances throughout the five frames before.

In back-to-back half innings, each team left a runner in scoring position. It was the Panthers in the bottom of the seventh when redshirt sophomore Jacob Wright was hit by a pitch and stole second with two outs, but remained there. Machin led off the eighth for the Rams with a single and steal, but Pidich struck out the next two batters and induced a ground out to keep VCU off the scoreboard.

Looking to end the game before extra innings, Hess singled with two outs. However, a strikeout ended the frame one batter later. Pitt's best chance came in the 11th inning when Kowalczyk singled as the leadoff batter. Following a fielder's choice and stolen base by senior Boo Vazquez, the Panthers had the winning run on second with only one out. But Concepcion fanned the next two batters to send the game into the 12th.

Machin went 4-for-5 for the Rams and reached base a total of five times to go along with two runs batted in and one run scored. Davis and Haymaker each added to base knocks with Haymaker tallying one RBI and Davis scoring one run.

Starting pitcher Heath Dwyer lasted five innings and gave up four earned runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts in the no decision.

Game two between the Panthers and Rams is set for Saturday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at TicketRefund.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.