No. 18 Pitt Clinches Series at Virginia with 6-2 Win

Sunday, March 21

Charlottesville, Va.

1 PM

Pitt

11-4, 8-3

Virginia

8-10, 2-9

Pitt

Virginia

Photo by: Matt Riley/UVA Athletic Media Relations

No. 18 Pitt Clinches Series at Virginia with 6-2 Win

3/21/2021 7:17:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 18 Pitt baseball (11-4, 8-3) clinched the series win at (RV) Virginia (8-10, 2-9) with a 6-2 win Sunday afternoon at Disharoon Park. The Panthers picked up their first series win at Charlottesville and just their second overall series victory over the Cavaliers.

Just four ACC weekend series into the season, Pitt continued its best start in ACC play and recorded its most road league series wins (three) with a sweep at then-No. 9 Florida State on Feb. 26-28 and two wins at then-No. 7 Georgia Tech last weekend. The Panthers need just one more series win to tie the 2015 and 2018 teams for most overall ACC series victories in a single-season.

After Mitch Myers threw Pitt's first complete game in five years in Saturday's 2-1 win at Virginia, Matt Gilbertson (3-2) nearly matched that effort. After giving the leadoff batter a hit in the first inning, Gilbertson retired the next 16 batters. He finished with five strikeouts, five hits, two runs and no walks in eight innings pitched.

The Panthers got on the board first in the third inning. Nico Popa and Kyle Hess opened the frame with singles, and Ron Washington, Jr. followed with his own single to knock in Popa. David Yanni then hit a double down the right field line to allow Hess to reach home standing up.

T3 | No. 1??8?? Pitt 2, UVA 0

Panthers double their lead in the next at-bat! @dyanni2 laces a double down the RF line to knock in @Hessy21Kyle! Still no outs with two runners in scoring position.

??: https://t.co/josSUV8bc7 #H2P https://t.co/Lbd5blqmEQ pic.twitter.com/Ib5AFqTIhv
— Pitt Baseball (@Pitt_BASE) March 21, 2021

Popa doubled Pitt's lead in the next inning. Sky Duff reached on a throwing error from the third baseman, and Popa smacked a two-run homer just over the leaping centerfielder's glove for his fifth home run of the season.

Another weekend, another @nicopopa3 ??! (He did not catch it...)

??: https://t.co/josSUV8bc7 #H2P pic.twitter.com/3WiH9SV3du
— Pitt Baseball (@Pitt_BASE) March 21, 2021

Pitt added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning. Brock Franks hit a one-out ground-rule double to right center, and then Duff reached on a fielding error by the left fielder. After a wild pitch put both runners in scoring position, Popa singled up the middle to bring home Franks. Duff raced home for the other run on a sac fly to left field by Hess.

The series finale is Monday at 2 p.m.

NOTES

Pitt remained undefeated (2-0) as a ranked team this season and improved to 10-4 against teams this season that are currently ranked or receiving votes.
Pitt has won all five Sunday games this season, taking the rubber match 10-1 in the opening weekend against Indiana State in Port Charlotte, Fla., defeating Florida State 9-7 in 13 innings three weekends ago, rallying for a 5-4 win at Duke two weeks ago and winning the rubber match at Georgia Tech 18-12 last week.
Jordan McCrum pitched the ninth inning with a strikeout and no hits or walks given up, his seventh scoreless relief appearance this season.
Popa had game-highs of three hits and three RBIs and tied Duff with a game-high two runs.
The entire batting order went to the plate four times and reached base at least one time.
Pitt had eight walks with a game-high two by Bryce Hulett.