Spiegel Hits Two Home Runs, Panthers Drop Game Two in South Bend

Saturday, May 4

South Bend, IN

4 PM

Pitt

19-24, 0

Notre Dame

24-21, 0

Pittsburgh

Notre Dame

Spiegel Hits Two Home Runs, Panthers Drop Game Two in South Bend

5/4/2024 8:13:00 PM | Baseball

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SOUTH BEND, In. – The Panthers fell 15-8 on Saturday afternoon in game two at Notre Dame. Josh Spiegel hit two home runs as Pitt recorded 11 hits on the day.

For just the second time in his collegiate career, Josh Spiegel hit two home runs in a single game, doing so in consecutive at-bats. Spiegel finished with three hits on the day, doubling in the fifth inning. Luke Cantwell recorded his second multi-hit game of the series as he went 3-5 with an RBI single in the eighth inning. The Panther first baseman has now had multiple hits in five of his last seven games. Ryan Zuckerman had two extra base hits this afternoon which included a three-run home run that tied the game in the top of the second inning, it was Zuckerman's 11^th multi-hit game of the year and his eighth homer of the season. Justin Fogel went 2-4 with a double, scoring on Zuckerman's three-run blast in the second.

Kyle Mosley provided Pitt two quality innings of one run baseball in the later innings. Mosley struck out one and allowed just two hits over his two innings.

Pitt and Notre Dame exchanged a pair of three-run shots in the first inning and a half on Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Irish got their first two base runners in the bottom of the first inning as Estevan Moreno hit a three-run home run to put them up 3-0 early.

The Panthers came right back in the top half of the second, hitting a three-run shot of their own, and tying the game at three runs apiece. Justin Fogel led off the inning with a double, Funk followed with a walk and Pitt had runners at first and second with no one out. Tyler Bischke moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt for freshman Ryan Zuckerman. On an 0-2 count, Zuckerman blasted his eighth homer of the year deep to left center and tied the game at three.

The Fighting Irish responded with another three-spot and led 6-3 after two frames. They would tack one two more in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-run double and extended their lead to five.

Pitt chipped away, scoring two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to cut the lead to three. Ryan Zuckerman and Dom Popa each worked walks to start the top of the sixth inning. Luke Cantwell reached on a ball that was ripped to and mishandled by the second baseman which allowed Zuckerman to score from second and Popa to advance to third. Popa would score on a wild pitch in the next at-bat as Pitt kept fighting.

Josh Spiegel led off the top of the seventh inning with a solo blast over the scoreboard in left center to cut the Notre Dame lead to three. The Panthers now trailed 9-6.

Notre Dame scored five runs on four hits in the bottom half of the inning to extend their lead to eight.

The Panthers kept fight in the top of the eighth as Ryan Zuckerman led the inning off with a double, his second extra base hit of the game. Luke Cantwell would drive Zuckerman in on an RBI single up the middle for Cantwell's third hit of the ballgame. The Fighting Irish matched with a run in the bottom half of the inning and led by eight again.

In his second-consecutive at-bat, Josh Spiegel led off an inning with a solo home run. The graduate student hit a towering drive to left for just his second career multi-homer game.

The Panthers would fall 15-8 as the Fighting Irish evened the series.