Panthers Late Inning Rally Falls Shot in Series Finale at No. 7 Virginia

Sunday, April 16

Charlottesville, VA

1 PM

Pitt

16-18, 7-9

Virginia

31-6, 12-6

Pittsburgh

Virginia

Panthers Late Inning Rally Falls Shot in Series Finale at No. 7 Virginia

4/16/2023 4:38:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score Gamebook

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After winning the first two games of the weekend series, Pitt (16-18, 7-9ACC) could not complete the sweep as they dropped the series finale to No. 7 Virginia (31-6, 12-6 ACC) at Disharoon Park on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers scored two runs apiece in the seventh and eights innings before loading the bases in the top of the ninth.

Pitt hit three home runs in this contest as the Panther offense continued a strong weekend series. Pitt hit .333 with eight extra base hits, including five home runs, in the three-game series versus the Cavaliers.

CJ Funk leading the team offensively Sunday, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two singles. Justin Acal (1-for-4, 2-run HR) and Kyle Hess (1-for-5, 2-run HR) added to their home run totals as well, both blasting two-run home runs in the later innings. Sky Duff went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, inching closer to Pitt's all time doubles record. He currently sits at 52 career doubles, two away from setting a new school record.

The Panthers got a quality outing out of their Sunday starter as Kyle Mosley went four innings allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out two.

The Cavaliers threatened in the bottom of the first inning for the second straight game. Back-to-back singles and an intentional walk to start the inning would load the bases with one out. Mosely then induced an inning ending 4-6-3 double play to escape the jam.

Pitt used the momentum from the double play to take the first lead in the ballgame. On the first pitch of the ensuing inning, Funk launched his team leading 12^th home run of the season over the right-center field wall to put the Panthers up 1-0.

Virginia got on the board and tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring on a sacrifice bunt, the third time a run had been scored via the bunt in this series.

The Panther defense yet again utilized an inning ending double play to escape another jam in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Cavaliers had runners on the corners with one out. Virginia however came right back, in the bottom of the sixth to their first lead of the game with four runs in the inning. The Cavaliers plated two runners with back-to-back bases loaded walks before adding two-run single to center.

Acal cut the Cavaliers lead in half blasting his second two-run home run of the weekend in the top of the seventh. Virginia got one of those runs back in the home half of the inning, making it 6-3 after seven innings of play.

Pitt continued to battle back in the next inning as Hess blasted a two-run shot to cut the deficit to 6-5. The Cavaliers tacked on a pair of insurance runs back in the bottom half of the eighth.

Pitt loaded the bases in the ninth inning as a Jayden Melendez single was sandwiched between walks by Duff and Noah Martinez. Virgini got out of the one-out jam to avoid the sweep. The Cavaliers entered the weekend series with a 23-game home win streak before Pitt took the first two games of the series.

The Panthers are back in action Wednesday, April 19 with a 6 p.m. first pitch at PNC Park against West Virginia in baseball's first rendition of The Backyard Brawl this season.