Panthers Fall in Extras Despite Late-Inning Comeback

Sunday, March 10

Chapel Hill, NC

1 PM

Pitt

8-4, 0

North Carolina

14-2, 0

Pittsburgh

North Carolina

Panthers Fall in Extras Despite Late-Inning Comeback

3/10/2024 6:52:00 PM | Baseball

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CHAPEL HILL, Nc. – Despite Pitt's eighth-inning comeback, the Panthers fell in extras, 6-5, to the No. 16 North Carolina Tar Heels.

Senior centerfielder Dom Popa went 2-4 with an RBI double in the series finale, he extended his team-leading hitting streak to 11 games. Jake Kendro launched his third home run of the season off the scoreboard in left field in the eighth inning, it was his third in the last five games. Luke Cantwell collected his fifth multi-hit game of the season as he went 2-5 with two singles. Tyler Bischke went 1-4 and drove in two runs including a clutch RBI single in the eighth inning.

Dom Popa led off the top of the first inning with a nine-pitch at-bat and extended his hitting streak to 11 games on his single through the left side. Jayden Melendez grounded into a 4-3 double play in the next at-bat and the Panthers went scoreless in the first.

Left-hander Ryan Reed provided Pitt with a quality start on the bump in his fourth outing of the year. He allowed one earned run on five hits while walking just one batter over five innings pitched. Ryan Partridge threw a scoreless inning in relief allowing only one hit and inducing a double play. Despite earning his first loss of the year, Phil Fox was great out of the bullpen. In his three scoreless innings prior to the bottom of the tenth, Fox allowed just two hits while striking out three batters.

The Tar Heels got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning after a single and walk put runners at first and second with one out. After each runner advanced a base on a passed ball, Jayden Melendez tried to throw out the runner advancing to second, but the ball ended up in center field and North Carolina led 1-0 after two.

Pitt tied it up in the top of the third on an RBI double down the right field line by Dom Popa for his second hit of the day. Ryan Zuckerman scored all the way from first base after leading off the inning with a walk.

North Carolina would match that in the bottom half of the inning, scoring one, and leading 2-1 after three full frames.

The game remained scoreless for the next two and a half innings until Carolina added insurance in the bottom of the sixth inning. They scored three runs on three hits and lead the Panthers 5-1.

Pitt threatened in the top of the seventh and got a run back. A walk by C.J. Funk and a Justin Fogel single to lead off the inning put runners at first and third with nobody out. Tyler Bischke had an RBI groundout to third that scored Funk and cut the Tar Heel lead to 5-2

The Panthers would score three runs in the top of the eighth inning and tie the game at five all. Jake Kendro led off the inning with a solo home run off the scoreboard in left field for his third home run of the season and third in the last five games. Dom Popa walked and Luke Cantwell singled, for the second time today, putting runners at first and second for C.J. Funk. Funk lined an RBI single passed the second baseman and into right that scored Popa and cut the Tar Heel lead to just one. Tyler Bischke drove the tying run in on an RBI single up the middle and into center and the game was all square heading into the ninth inning.

Neither team was able to score in the ninth inning and this game would head to extra innings deadlocked at five runs each.

Phil Fox hit the first North Carolina batter in the bottom of the tenth and gave them the only base runner they would need. Two batters later, the Tar Heels drove a double down the right field line that scored the runner all the way from first as the Panthers fell in an extra inning affair in Chapel Hill.

After two cancellations, Pitt will finally open up their home schedule this Tuesday, March 12^th against Akron at 3 PM.