Pitt Wins 12-5 at Kent State

Tuesday, April 12

Kent, Ohio

6 PM

Pitt

19-12

Kent State

12-15

Pitt

Kent State

Photo by: Matt Hawley/Pitt Athletics

4/12/2022 10:52:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

KENT, Ohio – Pitt baseball (19-12) defeated Kent State (12-15) 12-5 Tuesday night at Olga Mural Field. The Panthers have won three-straight midweek games (9-6 over West Virginia, March 30, and 9-1 at Youngstown State, April 6) and eight of their last 10 games.

The Golden Flashes scored a run in each of the first two innings, but the Panthers grabbed the lead for good in the second. The bases were loaded with one out on walks to Bryce Hulett, Dom Popa and Tommy Tavarez. With two outs, Jeffrey Wehler would knock in everyone with a triple to centerfield. Wehler then came home on a single to left field from Tatem Levins.

T2 | Pitt 3, Kent State 1

On the 1??4??th pitch of the at-bat, @J_Whales7 hits a 3-RBI triple!

??: https://t.co/2xyCs3xeTc #H2P pic.twitter.com/mnICdbgpa2
— Pitt Baseball (@Pitt_BASE) April 12, 2022

After Kent State cut it to a one-run game on an RBI-double in the fifth inning, Pitt responded with a run in the next inning. CJ Funk led off with a triple to centerfield and raced home on an RBI-groundout from Popa.

The Golden Flashes made it a one-run Panthers' lead again with a solo homer in the bottom of the inning.

Pitt pushed the game finally out of reach in the seventh inning. The bases were loaded on a Jack Anderson single and walks from Sky Duff and pinch-hitter Josh Overbeek. With two outs and a full count, Popa also walked to pick up another RBI. On a high pop-up from Tavarez, the second baseman dropped it and all three runners reached home safely.

The Panthers added two insurance runs in the following inning. Wehler led off with a single to right field, advanced to second base on a groundout and scored on a double down the left field line from Duff. After a single through the left side from Anderson, a groundout from Hulett allowed Duff to get home standing up.

T8 | Pitt 10, Kent State 5

Insurance run secured! @Sky_Duff3 smokes this double to LF as @J_Whales7 easily scores!

??: https://t.co/2xyCs3xeTc #H2P pic.twitter.com/48gz3gBOrd
— Pitt Baseball (@Pitt_BASE) April 13, 2022

Tavarez produced the final run in the ninth inning with a one-out solo homer to left field, his third in the last five games.

3?? homers in the last ? games for @TavarezTommy ??

??: https://t.co/2xyCs3xeTc #H2P https://t.co/8rLpBGqG94 pic.twitter.com/hMzipKbohI
— Pitt Baseball (@Pitt_BASE) April 13, 2022

Pitt resumes ACC play with a three-game series at home against No. 5 Virginia beginning Friday at 6 p.m.

NOTES

Ben Dragani (2-1) earned the win in relief with two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks with a strikeout.
Jonathan Bautista made his first collegiate start and went two innings with two runs, four hits, two walks and one strikeout.
C.J. McKennitt had a scoreless inning of relief in the eighth with two strikeouts, and Brady Devereux retired the side in the final frame.
Duff extended his reached-base streak to 52 games with a double and two walks.
Wehler had a game-high three hits and three RBI, finishing a homer shy of the cycle.
The Panthers had 10 walks and nine hits.
Nick Giamarusti (centerfield) and Popa (left field) made their first collegiate starts.