Saturday, May 20
Raleigh, NC
1 PM
Pitt
2
at
8
NC State
Pitt Clinches ACC Tournament Berth Despite Loss in Series Finale
5/20/2023 4:48:00 PM | Baseball
Raleigh, NC – The Pitt Panthers (23-30, 10-18 ACC) fall in their regular season finale at NC State (34-18, 13-16 ACC) Saturday afternoon, 8-2. However, because of a Florida State victory over Louisville, they clinched a berth in the ACC Tournament.
Pitt had runners on and threatened multiple times throughout the game, but could never bring them home.
Anthony LaSala had a great day in the field and at the plate as he turned a 6-3 double play, made a diving, run saving catch, to end an inning, and hit his first collegiate home run this afternoon. Dom Popa recorded his second two-hit game of the series, he went 2-4 with two singles.
Sky Duff led the ballgame off with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch, putting the Panthers first base runner of the game in scoring position with nobody out. NC State's starting pitcher would get Jayden Melendez and Noah Martinez to both fly out to left and Jack Anderson to line out to short to end the threat in the top of the first.
Pitt began the first two innings with lead off walks, as Kyle Hess drew a four-pitch walk to start the top of the second. Following strikeouts to CJ Funk and Justin Acal, Dom Popa came up and singled through the right side. After having trouble fielding the single, right fielder Trevor Candelaria made an errant throw into no-man's land in between shortstop and third base which allowed Popa to advance to second and Hess to score all the way from first. Pitt grabbed their first lead of the ballgame 1-0.
The Wolfpack answered right back in the bottom half of the inning with a solo shot to left center by Parker Nolan to knot this game at one apiece. They scored one more to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double to left center. There could have been more damage done in the inning if not for an inning-ending, run-saving, diving catch in shallow centerfield by shortstop Anthony LaSala.
And after making that phenomenal diving catch in the bottom of the fourth, Anthony LaSala came to the plate in the top of the fifth and launched his first collegiate home run into the leftfield bullpen, tying the game at two. The freshman had perhaps played his most complete game of the season this afternoon.
NC State took the lead back, and for good, in the bottom of the sixth inning as they would use two two-run home runs to plate four and go up 6-2. They tacked on two more in the bottom of the eighth on their third two-run home run of the game to go up 8-2.
ACC Tournament play begins Tuesday, May 23. There will be more to come on the seeding, game times, and game days once it becomes available.
Pitt had runners on and threatened multiple times throughout the game, but could never bring them home.
Anthony LaSala had a great day in the field and at the plate as he turned a 6-3 double play, made a diving, run saving catch, to end an inning, and hit his first collegiate home run this afternoon. Dom Popa recorded his second two-hit game of the series, he went 2-4 with two singles.
Sky Duff led the ballgame off with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch, putting the Panthers first base runner of the game in scoring position with nobody out. NC State's starting pitcher would get Jayden Melendez and Noah Martinez to both fly out to left and Jack Anderson to line out to short to end the threat in the top of the first.
Pitt began the first two innings with lead off walks, as Kyle Hess drew a four-pitch walk to start the top of the second. Following strikeouts to CJ Funk and Justin Acal, Dom Popa came up and singled through the right side. After having trouble fielding the single, right fielder Trevor Candelaria made an errant throw into no-man's land in between shortstop and third base which allowed Popa to advance to second and Hess to score all the way from first. Pitt grabbed their first lead of the ballgame 1-0.
The Wolfpack answered right back in the bottom half of the inning with a solo shot to left center by Parker Nolan to knot this game at one apiece. They scored one more to take the lead in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double to left center. There could have been more damage done in the inning if not for an inning-ending, run-saving, diving catch in shallow centerfield by shortstop Anthony LaSala.
And after making that phenomenal diving catch in the bottom of the fourth, Anthony LaSala came to the plate in the top of the fifth and launched his first collegiate home run into the leftfield bullpen, tying the game at two. The freshman had perhaps played his most complete game of the season this afternoon.
NC State took the lead back, and for good, in the bottom of the sixth inning as they would use two two-run home runs to plate four and go up 6-2. They tacked on two more in the bottom of the eighth on their third two-run home run of the game to go up 8-2.
ACC Tournament play begins Tuesday, May 23. There will be more to come on the seeding, game times, and game days once it becomes available.
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