Pitt
14-18, 4-14
Duke
26-10, 11-7
Panthers Comeback to Defeat No. 7 Duke in Series Finale
4/14/2024 8:34:00 PM | Baseball
PITTSBURGH – The Panthers scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to complete the comeback and top the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils on Sunday afternoon.
Pitt's win over the number seven team in the country was their highest ranked win since they beat No. 7 Virginia last year on the road on April 15, 2023.
The Panthers hit four home runs this afternoon, tying the second-most that they hit in single game this season. Pitt's entire infield hit home runs as Luke Cantwell, Tyler Bischke, Jake Kendro and Ryan Zuckerman all went deep today. Pitt's entire lineup recorded a hit this afternoon as they combined for 14 hits, their most in a game since their win over Boston College on March 16th.
Luke Cantwell went 2-3 with a home run, two walks and two runs scored. Dom Popa had three hits this afternoon which tied a single-game career high. Popa drove in one run and extended his hitting streak to eight games. Tyler Bischke went 2-5 with a home run, a single and a season-high four runs batted in. In his just his second career start, Jonah St. Antoine collected the first multi-hit game of his career and drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Ryan Reed gave the Panthers a quality start, allowing three earned runs and just two walks over 4.1 innings. Ben Kovel threw a scoreless, hitless, eighth inning and earned his second win of the season while Phil Fox bounced back from yesterday and earned his third save of the year.
The Panthers grabbed an early lead in the bottom of the first on a Dom Popa RBI single to right. The team-leader in walks, Luke Cantwell, lead off the inning with his 37th base on balls of the season. Jayden Melendez grounded into a fielder's choice that nabbed Cantwell at second, while C.J. Funk walked, and put runners at first and second. Popa lined a single into right field that scored Melendez from second and put Pitt up 1-0 after one.
Reed escaped a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the third to keep the No. 7 Blue Devils scoreless through the first three innings.
Duke would however tie it up in the top of the fourth on a solo shot to center field.
Pitt responded with a quick three runs in the bottom half of the inning on home runs by Jake Kendro and Luke Cantwell. After Jonah St. Antoine got on base for the second-straight time, via a hit by pitch, Jake Kendro launched a two-run blast to center field to put the Panthers back in front. One batter later, Luke Cantwell followed that up with a towering drive of his own that hit off the concrete wall just passed the road in right field.
The Blue Devils scored four runs in each of the next two innings to lead the Panthers 9-4.
Ryan Zuckerman left the yard in the bottom of the sixth inning for his sixth home run of the year. Pitt now trailed by four after six.
C.J. Funk led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk which was followed by the Dom Popa single to center that put two runners on with no one out for Tyler Bischke. Bischke launched a three-run shot off the batter's eye to bring the Panthers within two, trailing 10-8 after seven innings.
The Panthers completed their comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning, scoring three runs on five hits to take the lead and go up one heading into the ninth. Luke Cantwell led off the inning with a single to right and would advance to third on Justin Fogel's single up the middle into center. Fogel extended his hitting streak to 10 games. C.J. Funk lined an RBI single to center that drove in Cantwell and put Fogel on second, Pitt now trailed by just one. After Dom Popa reached on a fielder's choice, the Panthers tied it on a Tyler Bischke RBI single to left that plated Fogel. In his second career start, Jonah St. Antoine drove in the game-winning run on an RBI single through the right side to put the Panthers up 11-10.
Phil Fox shut the door in the top of the ninth and defeated the No. 7 Blue Devils in the series finale.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kovel, Ben (2-0)
L: Romano, Jimmy (1-1)
S: Fox, Phil (3)
Batting:
2B: Morris, Zac 1 ; Gracia, AJ 1 ; Stone, Alex 2
3B: Clark, Wallace 1
HR: Obee, Devin 2 ; Johnson, Kyle 1
RBI: Morris, Zac 1 ; Stone, Alex 3 ; Clark, Wallace 1 ; Obee, Devin 4 ; Johnson, Kyle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Morris, Zac 1 ; Gracia, AJ 1 ; Stone, Alex 2 ; Clark, Wallace 1 ; Obee, Devin 2 ; Krewson, Chase 1 ; Johnson, Kyle 1 ; Rodgers, Harrison 1
SB: Morris, Zac 1
Batting:
HR: Cantwell, Luke 1 ; Bischke, Tyler 1 ; Kendro, Jake 1 ; Zuckerman, Ryan 1
RBI: Cantwell, Luke 1 ; Funk, C.J. 1 ; Popa, Dom 1 ; Bischke, Tyler 4 ; St. Antoine, Jonah 1 ; Kendro, Jake 2 ; Zuckerman, Ryan 1
SH: Kendro, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cantwell, Luke 2 ; Melendez, Jayden 1 ; Winkleblech, Austyn 1 ; Funk, C.J. 2 ; Popa, Dom 1 ; Bischke, Tyler 1 ; St. Antoine, Jonah 1 ; Kendro, Jake 1 ; Zuckerman, Ryan 1
CS: St. Antoine, Jonah 1
HBP: St. Antoine, Jonah 1
