Friday, February 28
Sanford, Fla.
1 p.m.
Pitt
7-1
15
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4
Lehigh
1-6
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9
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Lehigh
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Pitt
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15
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Photo by: Simone Amaduzzi
Pitt Beats Lehigh 15-4 and Central Connecticut State 7-5 to Open RussMatt Central Florida Invitational
2/28/2020 10:05:00 PM | Baseball
SANFORD, Fla. – Pitt baseball (8-1) defeated Lehigh (1-6) 15-4 and Central Connecticut State (2-2) 7-5 Friday in the first day of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium. The Panthers have won six-straight games and are off to their best start since 2002 (9-0-1).
Game One: Lehigh
The Panthers struck first in the fourth inning. Samuel Frontino led off with a double down the right field line, and Bryce Hulett then singled through the left side. A balk advanced both runners for the Panthers' first run. With one out, Sky Duff hit his first collegiate homer to right field.
Frontino led off the sixth inning with a homer that just cleared the right field wall, his first as a Panther.
Lehigh responded the next inning with an RBI-double to left center and a one-run single to right field with two outs in the next inning.
Pitt answered back in the bottom of the inning. Jordan Anderson led off with a triple that smacked off the left field wall. After Nico Popa drew a walk on four-straight balls, David Yanni brought home Anderson on a sac fly to left field. Ron Washington Jr. then walked, and both he and Yanni advanced on a wild pitch. Kyle Hess knocked in the pair on a double to centerfield. After Hess advanced on a wild pitch, he scored on a single to left field by Frontino. Hulett had a double bounce over the wall in left center, and Riley Wash then hit another two-RBI double over the centerfielder's head for the sixth run of the frame.
The Panthers tacked on insurance runs in their last trip to the plate. Yanni walked with one out, and Zion Spearman than reached on an error by the centerfielder. Hess got another RBI-double to right field that scored Yanni. After Frontino loaded the bases with a walk, pinch-hitters Grant Santangelo, Nico Samarkos and Cameron Barto then drew three more walks.
Game Two: Central Connecticut State
Pitt had to come back from two different deficits to earn the win. After Central Connecticut State had regained the lead in the top of the seventh inning on a sac fly to left field and an RBI-single afterwards, the Panthers made it a short-lived advantage. Duff drew a leadoff walk, and Popa dropped an infield single a few feet off the plate. After Yanni loaded the bases up with a walk, a balk allowed Duff to jog home for a run. Ron Washington Jr. crushed a ball over the left field wall with one out for the go-ahead, game-winning three-run homer.
The Panthers scored first again in the bottom of the fourth inning. Washington Jr. drew a leadoff walk, and Hulett hit his first home run as a Panther to right field with two outs.
The Blue Devils responded by taking the lead in their next trip to the plate. Taking advantage of an error with one out, a home run to left field tied the game up. A two-out homer to centerfield followed with two outs.
Pitt tied the game up in the sixth inning. Yanni led off with a single to right field. After Frontino singled to right field with two outs, Hulett followed with a single to centerfield to bring home Yanni.
NEWS AND NOTES
HEAD COACH MIKE BELL'S TAKE
"I thought the key to the day was putting together quality at bats and hitting the ball up the middle and the other way," said Pitt head coach Mike Bell. "Hulett and Frontino were phenomenal all day driving the ball through the middle of the field. Duff continues to lead the way sparking this offense with great at bats, and Washington saved his best one for his last, a three-run homer to put us ahead."
UP NEXT
Pitt faces Lehigh again Saturday at 3 p.m.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
Game One: Lehigh
The Panthers struck first in the fourth inning. Samuel Frontino led off with a double down the right field line, and Bryce Hulett then singled through the left side. A balk advanced both runners for the Panthers' first run. With one out, Sky Duff hit his first collegiate homer to right field.
Frontino led off the sixth inning with a homer that just cleared the right field wall, his first as a Panther.
Lehigh responded the next inning with an RBI-double to left center and a one-run single to right field with two outs in the next inning.
Pitt answered back in the bottom of the inning. Jordan Anderson led off with a triple that smacked off the left field wall. After Nico Popa drew a walk on four-straight balls, David Yanni brought home Anderson on a sac fly to left field. Ron Washington Jr. then walked, and both he and Yanni advanced on a wild pitch. Kyle Hess knocked in the pair on a double to centerfield. After Hess advanced on a wild pitch, he scored on a single to left field by Frontino. Hulett had a double bounce over the wall in left center, and Riley Wash then hit another two-RBI double over the centerfielder's head for the sixth run of the frame.
The Panthers tacked on insurance runs in their last trip to the plate. Yanni walked with one out, and Zion Spearman than reached on an error by the centerfielder. Hess got another RBI-double to right field that scored Yanni. After Frontino loaded the bases with a walk, pinch-hitters Grant Santangelo, Nico Samarkos and Cameron Barto then drew three more walks.
Game Two: Central Connecticut State
Pitt had to come back from two different deficits to earn the win. After Central Connecticut State had regained the lead in the top of the seventh inning on a sac fly to left field and an RBI-single afterwards, the Panthers made it a short-lived advantage. Duff drew a leadoff walk, and Popa dropped an infield single a few feet off the plate. After Yanni loaded the bases up with a walk, a balk allowed Duff to jog home for a run. Ron Washington Jr. crushed a ball over the left field wall with one out for the go-ahead, game-winning three-run homer.
The Panthers scored first again in the bottom of the fourth inning. Washington Jr. drew a leadoff walk, and Hulett hit his first home run as a Panther to right field with two outs.
The Blue Devils responded by taking the lead in their next trip to the plate. Taking advantage of an error with one out, a home run to left field tied the game up. A two-out homer to centerfield followed with two outs.
Pitt tied the game up in the sixth inning. Yanni led off with a single to right field. After Frontino singled to right field with two outs, Hulett followed with a single to centerfield to bring home Yanni.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Chris Cappas (1-0) earned his first win of the season, striking out a career-high nine Lehigh batters and giving up just one hit and three walks in five scoreless innings.
- Grant Powell (2-0) got the win in the second game, coming out of the bullpen and giving up no runs, two hits and no walks with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched. Powell struck out the side in the eighth inning.
- Billy Corcoran went 6.1 innings, allowing four earned runs, five hits and three walks with nine strikeouts, tying his career-high set in his last start against Eastern Michigan one week ago. Corcoran retired the first 12 batters faced.
- With 15 runs off 14 hits and nine walks against Lehigh, Pitt registered its fifth double-digit hit and run games of the season.
- Frontino and Hulett both collected four hits with a double and home run each. Frontino had two RBI's, two walks and four walks, while Hulett recorded three RBI's and three runs.
- Popa had three hits, two stolen bases and a walk.
- Wash went 2-5 with two doubles and two RBI's.
- Yanni drew a team-high three walks along with two hits and three runs.
- Pitt has combined for four home runs on both of its doubleheaders this season (three against Indiana State and one versus Saint Joseph's on Opening Day, Feb. 14).
HEAD COACH MIKE BELL'S TAKE
"I thought the key to the day was putting together quality at bats and hitting the ball up the middle and the other way," said Pitt head coach Mike Bell. "Hulett and Frontino were phenomenal all day driving the ball through the middle of the field. Duff continues to lead the way sparking this offense with great at bats, and Washington saved his best one for his last, a three-run homer to put us ahead."
UP NEXT
Pitt faces Lehigh again Saturday at 3 p.m.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cappas, Chris (1-0)
L: Van Hoorebeke, Cam (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Von Werne, Charlie 1
RBI: Cichocki, Eric 1 ; Von Werne, Charlie 1 ; Kochmansky, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sweeney, Gerard 1 ; Retzbach, Adam 1 ; Von Werne, Charlie 1 ; Kochmansky, Jake 1
HBP: McKenna, Quinn 1 ; Gorla, Joe 1
Batting:
2B: Anderson, Jordan 1 ; Hess, Kyle 2 ; Frontino, Samuel 1 ; Hulett, Bryce 1 ; Wash, Riley 1
3B: Anderson, Jordan 1
HR: Frontino, Samuel 1 ; Duff, Sky 1
RBI: Yanni, David 1 ; Hess, Kyle 3 ; Frontino, Samuel 2 ; Santangelo, Grant 1 ; Wash, Riley 2 ; Samarkos, Nico 1 ; Duff, Sky 2 ; Barto, Cameron 1
SF: Yanni, David 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Anderson, Jordan 1 ; Popa, Nico 1 ; Yanni, David 1 ; Washington, Jr., Ron 1 ; Spearman, Zion 1 ; Hess, Kyle 2 ; Frontino, Samuel 4 ; Hulett, Bryce 2 ; Santangelo, Grant 1 ; Duff, Sky 1
SB: Popa, Nico 1
Game Leaders
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H
2
RBI
0
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