Panthers Fall to Maine

Saturday, February 18

Sarasota, FL

12 PM

Pitt

1-1

Maine

1-1

Maine

Pittsburgh

Photo by: Matt Hawley/Pitt Athletics

2/18/2023 5:14:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Gamebook (PDF)

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Junior outfielder CJ Funk and freshman outfielder AJ Nessler each homered, but the Pitt baseball team (1-1) fell to Maine (1-1), 11-7, Saturday at Ed Smith Stadium.

Funk finished 3-for-5 with a double and a solo home run while Nessler hit a two-run blast for his first collegiate home run, but the Panthers could not overcome a six-run surge by the Black Bears in the top of the fifth inning.

Maine took a 1-0 lead on a leadoff home run by redshirt junior utility player Jake Rainess in the top of the first. Pitt answered back in the home half on Funk's one-out solo shot to right.

The Black Bears tallied a run in both the second and third innings to take a 3-1 advantage, but the Panthers cut their deficit to one in the home half of the third on an RBI double by Funk down the left field line that scored graduate student infielder Sky Duff.

Maine broke the contest open in the fifth, though, pushing across six runs to take a 9-2 lead. The surge came courtesy of an RBI single by graduate student outfielder Matt McElwain, a two-RBI single by Rainess, a bases-loaded by walk sophomore first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins and a two-RBI double by senior infielder Connor Goodman.

The Panthers responded with three runs in the home half of the fifth to make it a 9-5 ballgame. Sophomore infielder Tommy Tavarez doubled down the left field line to drive in senior infielder Noah Martinez. Junior outfelder Dom Popa then hit a two-RBI double to center to bring around both senior catcher/infielder Jack Anderson and Tavarez.

Nessler pulled Pitt to within two runs in the seventh, following up a leadoff single by Tavarez with a two-run homer to right center.

That's as close as the Panthers got, however, as Maine added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth, then retired Pitt in order in the home half of the ninth.

Four Panthers finished with multiple hits, with Funk leading the way with a 3-for-5 effort. Tavarez finished 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI while Duff and freshman infielder Anthony LaSala each collected a pair of singles.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Ethan Firoved got his first career start on the mound at Pitt, striking out three in 3.1 innings of work. Junior right-hander Holden Phelps made his Panther debut out of the bullpen, striking out three in 3.1 frames of relief.

Pitt and Maine face off again on Sunday in the rubber match of the three-game weekend series in Sarasota. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. The game can be seen on FloBaseball.

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