Panthers Fall in Game Two to No. 14 Virginia

Saturday, March 23

Pittsburgh, PA

3 PM

Pitt

11-9, 1-7

Virginia

19-4, 5-3

Virginia

Pittsburgh

Panthers Fall in Game Two to No. 14 Virginia

3/23/2024 7:25:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score Gamebook Photo Gallery

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt Panthers fell 10-4 to Virginia on Saturday afternoon. Dom Popa went 2-5 with an RBI and extended his hitting streak to 19 games. Justin Fogel and Jake Kendro also collected multiple-hit games.

Popa's 19-game hitting streak is Pitt's longest such streak since 2019 when his brother, Nico, had a 19-game hitting streak of his own. Popa is currently tied with Georgia Tech's Cam Jones for the longest active streak in the ACC.

Justin Fogel had his sixth multi-hit game of the season this afternoon. He went 2-4 with an RBI double and a run scored. In his second game back since injury, Jake Kendro has not missed a beat. Kendro went 2-4 and is once again Pitt's season batting average leader.

Behind the dish, Jayden Melendez threw out two Cavalier base runners which tied a single-game career high.

Pitt's relievers were all efficient out of the bullpen this afternoon. Matt Fernandez allowed one run on one hit in his 1.1 innings. Matt Porter, in his second appearance of the year, threw two scoreless innings prior to giving up two in the ninth. Ryan Partridge threw a scoreless 0.2 innings in the ninth.

For the second consecutive game, Virginia scored first and also scored five runs in the top of the second inning. The Cavaliers strung together six hits in the second and led 5-0 after two.

Justin Fogel led off the bottom of the third inning with a single through the right side of the infield. Jake Kendro would also single to right and Pitt had runners at first and second with the top of the order up. Pitt's leadoff man Dom Popa lined an RBI single up the middle that took a weird hop and skipped past Henry Godbout at second. The Panthers trailed 5-1 after three full frames.

The Panthers got two runs on three hits in the bottom of the sixth. Luke Cantwell led off the inning with a double down the left field line and would move to third on a Tyler Bischke single into right. With runners at the corners, Josh Spiegel drove in Cantwell on a sacrifice fly to right field. Justin Fogel then smacked an RBI double the other way, down the left field line, and scored Bischke all the way from first to cut the Cavalier lead to five after six.

Dom Popa led off the bottom of the seventh with a single the other way into left field. C.J. Funk lined a ball to thid that was misplayed by the Luke Hanson and the Panthers had their first two batters of the inning reach. Luke Cantwell was beamed with the first pitch he saw, and the bases were loaded with nobody out. Popa scampered home and everyone else moved up a base on a passed ball that cut the Cavalier lead to four. Pitt loaded the bases again on a hit by pitch four pitches later. Tyler Bischke struck out swinging and Josh Spiegel would ground into a 5-4-3 inning-ending double play to end Pitt's last threat of the ballgame.