Panthers Fall to Maryland in First Loss of the Season

Saturday, February 24

Corpus Christi, TX

2 PM CDT

Pitt

4-1

Maryland

5-1

Pittsburgh

Maryland

Panthers Fall to Maryland in First Loss of the Season

2/24/2024 6:46:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Gamebook

CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx. – The Pitt baseball team fell 10-4 to Maryland on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers battled, but the Terrapins never relinquished their early lead.

Luke Cantwell tied a career-high in hits today, going 3-4 with an RBI single. Senior Dom Popa collected his second multiple-hit game of the season and finished 2-4 with two singles.

Graduate transfer Ben Kovel came out of the bullpen in the bottom of the fourth inning and made his Panther debut. He threw two innings allowing only one run on two hits and finished with two strikeouts. Freshman right-hander Gavin Chillot would relieve Kovel to make his collegiate debut this afternoon.

Maryland started the scoring this afternoon by plating seven runs on seven hits in the bottom of the second inning. They collected two RBI singles, a three-run double and a topped it off with a two-run home run to right field.

The Panthers would get a pair of those runs back in the top of the fourth inning. Luke Cantwell and C.J. Funk each worked walks as Turner Grau and Jake Kendro would trade RBI singles to put the Panthers on the board, trailing 7-2 after four innings.

Dom Popa led off the top of the fifth with a double to left field for his second hit of the game. And after Tyler Bischke reached on an error by the shortstop, the Panthers had runners at first and second with nobody out. Luke Cantwell lined an RBI single up the middle that scored Popa from second and advanced Bischke all the way to third. C.J. Funk brought home Bischke on a fielder's choice that cut the Maryland lead to three.

Maryland came back in the bottom half of the inning and plated a run on a sacrifice fly. Pitt trailed 8-4 after five.

The terrapins strung a handful of hits together in the bottom of the seventh to put two more on the board and lead 10-4 after seven full innings.

The Panthers threatened in the top of the eighth inning, loading the bases with nobody out on walks by Jayden Melendez and Turner Grau and a hit by pitch by Jake Kendro. Maryland would escape the jam, getting a strikeout and inducing the unconventional 1-2-3 inning-ending double play to end the threat.

Luke Cantwell collected his third hit of the afternoon in the top of the ninth on an infield single to third base but would not advance any further as the Panthers would drop their first game of the season.

Pitt returns tomorrow afternoon as they face tournament host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 4 PM EST/3 PM CST. RHP Jack Sokol will get the start for the Panthers.