Saturday, February 25
Port Charlotte, FL
11:30 AM
Pitt
4
vs
8
Harvard
Panthers Take Second Game of Doubleheader From Harvard
2/25/2023 8:19:00 PM | Baseball
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Pitt baseball team (3-3) split a Saturday doubleheader with Harvard (1-2) at Centennial Park, bouncing back from an 8-4 defeat in game one with an 11-3 victory in seven innings in game two.
After a tough four-run loss in the first game of the twin bill, the Panthers set the tone quickly in game two. Sky Duff led off the bottom of the first inning with a single to right, setting the table for a two-run home run to right by CJ Funk.
The Crimson tied it up at two-all thanks to pushing across runs in the second and third frames, but Pitt responded by plating eight runs over the third, fourth and fifth. The third saw an RBI triple by AJ Nessler, an RBI double by Tommy Tavarez and an RBI single by Johnny Long III. After Duff was hit by a pitch and Funk coaxed a walk with one out in the fourth, Noah Martinez smashed a three-run home run to right to make it an 8-2 lead for the Panthers. Duff delivered an RBI single, and Martinez served up a sacrifice fly in the fifth to make it an eight-run game. Pitt plated its 11th and final run in the sixth courtesy of a Harvard throwing error.
Nessler and Duff led the way for Pitt's offense with three hits apiece in game two while Tavarez added two.
On the mound, Jack Sokol and Dylan Simmons combined to limit the Crimson to three runs. Sokol worked the first four frames and struck out five en route to earning his first pitching win as a Panther. Simmons tossed the final three innings, fanning six on his way to his first save as a Panther.
"It was going to be a gut-check challenge for our guys in game two," head coach Mike Bell said. "Jack Sokol came out and gave us a quality four innings on the front end, with Dylan Simmons backing it up with three. But I thought (CJ) Funk's home run in the first inning - opposite field, two runs - kind of allowed our energy to grow in the dugout. I thought with us scoring multiple runs in each inning, it showed we had mental focus for seven innings. (Noah) Martinez with another home run. (AJ) Nessler had a great day with three hits in game two. He continues to really shine in left field and putting together really quality at-bats."
Game one saw Pitt take a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning on a Harvard throwing error that the Panthers picked up a pair of runs on. The Crimson put together a seven-run ninth, though, and ultimately prevailed despite the Panthers getting two runs back in the home half.
Ethan Firoved gave Pitt a strong start in game one, striking out nine over five innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits and four walks.
"Their starter in game one was outstanding," Bell said. (Chris) Clark is going to be a high-round draft pick for them. Really was in total control of the game for the first six innings. We were able to scrape two runs off of him, had a 2-1 lead going into the ninth. Credit to them, they put a couple good swings on some balls, and we didn't really finish things out like we're capable of in game one."
Pitt goes for the series win when it faces off with Harvard in the Sunday finale. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at Centennial Park.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
After a tough four-run loss in the first game of the twin bill, the Panthers set the tone quickly in game two. Sky Duff led off the bottom of the first inning with a single to right, setting the table for a two-run home run to right by CJ Funk.
The Crimson tied it up at two-all thanks to pushing across runs in the second and third frames, but Pitt responded by plating eight runs over the third, fourth and fifth. The third saw an RBI triple by AJ Nessler, an RBI double by Tommy Tavarez and an RBI single by Johnny Long III. After Duff was hit by a pitch and Funk coaxed a walk with one out in the fourth, Noah Martinez smashed a three-run home run to right to make it an 8-2 lead for the Panthers. Duff delivered an RBI single, and Martinez served up a sacrifice fly in the fifth to make it an eight-run game. Pitt plated its 11th and final run in the sixth courtesy of a Harvard throwing error.
Nessler and Duff led the way for Pitt's offense with three hits apiece in game two while Tavarez added two.
On the mound, Jack Sokol and Dylan Simmons combined to limit the Crimson to three runs. Sokol worked the first four frames and struck out five en route to earning his first pitching win as a Panther. Simmons tossed the final three innings, fanning six on his way to his first save as a Panther.
"It was going to be a gut-check challenge for our guys in game two," head coach Mike Bell said. "Jack Sokol came out and gave us a quality four innings on the front end, with Dylan Simmons backing it up with three. But I thought (CJ) Funk's home run in the first inning - opposite field, two runs - kind of allowed our energy to grow in the dugout. I thought with us scoring multiple runs in each inning, it showed we had mental focus for seven innings. (Noah) Martinez with another home run. (AJ) Nessler had a great day with three hits in game two. He continues to really shine in left field and putting together really quality at-bats."
Game one saw Pitt take a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning on a Harvard throwing error that the Panthers picked up a pair of runs on. The Crimson put together a seven-run ninth, though, and ultimately prevailed despite the Panthers getting two runs back in the home half.
Ethan Firoved gave Pitt a strong start in game one, striking out nine over five innings while allowing just one earned run on four hits and four walks.
"Their starter in game one was outstanding," Bell said. (Chris) Clark is going to be a high-round draft pick for them. Really was in total control of the game for the first six innings. We were able to scrape two runs off of him, had a 2-1 lead going into the ninth. Credit to them, they put a couple good swings on some balls, and we didn't really finish things out like we're capable of in game one."
Pitt goes for the series win when it faces off with Harvard in the Sunday finale. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at Centennial Park.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
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