Pitt Doubles Up Youngstown State, 8-4

March 25, 2015

NILES, OHIO - Junior Alex Kowalczyk posted three hits and a career-high four runs batted in to lead Pitt (11-12) past Youngstown State (5-12), 8-4, on Wednesday, March 25 at Eastwood Field.

Kowalczyk finished with a double and a pair of RBI singles - all within the first four innings - to fuel an early Pitt power surge. It was the 11th straight game that Kowalczyk recorded a hit, which is now the longest on the team after redshirt freshman Frank Maldonado saw his 15-game hitting streak snapped on the day.

Redshirt sophomore Jacob Wright also tallied a career-high three hits, including a double for his first extra base hit as a Panther. Wright scored twice, added an RBI and stole his team-high 11th base of the season.

Senior Eric Hess and sophomore Nick Yarnall each had a hit and scored two runs. Despite failing to record a hit for the first time in the last 16 games, Maldonado still got on base via his team-high eighth hit by pitch, allowing him to reach base in all 21 games he's made a plate appearance.

Sophomore Sam Mersing improved to 2-0 in three starts, throwing five innings while allowing two runs on two hits with five strikeouts. It was the second time this year Mersing went into the fourth inning without surrendering a hit. Against Niagara in his season debut, he took a perfect game into the fifth after retiring the first 14 batters of the game.

The Panthers jumped on Penguins starter D.J. Carr early, scoring two in the first and four in the second to grab a 6-0 lead and chase Carr from the game.

Wright started things off with a leadoff double - his first two-bagger of the season. He eventually scored on a passed ball, strike-three that also allowed Yarnall to reach first. The next batter, Kowalczyk, extended his hit streak to 11 games with his double to right center that put a pair in scoring position for junior Aaron Schnurbusch, who plated Yarnall with a sacrifice fly.

Pitt wasted no time once again in the second inning as the first four batters all reached base and scored. Following a leadoff walk to senior Jordan Frabasilio, junior Ron Sherman knocked him in with a double off the base of the wall in left center. Another free pas brought up Wright, who drove a pitch back up the middle to bring in Sherman for the frame's second run. With runners on second and third and two outs, Kowalczyk hit a rocket that nicked off the second baseman's glove and brought in both runners to make it 6-0.

Kowalczyk drove in two more runs in the fourth with a two-out single to push the Panther advantage to 8-0. Hess reached first on a leadoff single and made his way to third on a double by Yarnall that dropped down in front of the left fielder. Both runners scored on Kowalczyk's base knock through the left side.

Heading into the bottom half of the frame, Sam Mersing hadn't allowed a hit. After striking out the leadoff batter, Mersing issued his second walk, then gave up his first hit of the game when Jake Fryman crushed a ball over the left field fence for two runs.

YSU got another two runs back in the bottom of the sixth to pull within 8-4 after Mersing was lifted in favor of freshman Dan Furman. With one out, three straight hits - the last an RBI single by Joe King - and a sacrifice fly from Josh Fitch plated the pair. Fryman, who homered two innings earlier, scored the second run after doubling.

In the bottom of the seventh, Youngstown State threatened again placing two runners on with one out. However, freshman Isaac Mattson got out of the jam by retiring the next two batters and his next five overall, before turning the ball over to senior Hobie Harris, who faced the minimum three batters to shut the door on the Penguins to end the game.

Carr suffered his third loss of the season and gave up six runs on five hits in two innings.

Pitt returns to conference action this weekend when it opens up a three-game series at NC State on Friday, March 27 at 3 p.m.