Pitt Takes Game One at UNC Greensboro

Friday, February 28

Greensboro, NC

4 PM

Pitt

6-2

UNC Greensboro

4-4

Pittsburgh

UNC GREENSBORO

Pitt Takes Game One at UNC Greensboro

2/28/2025 8:16:00 PM | Baseball

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Greensboro, NC – Pitt won Friday night's series opener at UNC Greensboro 8-4. The Panther offense combined for double-digit hits for the fourth time this season while Pitt's pitching staff conceded just four hits all night.

Eight out of Pitt's nine starters collected a hit this evening with AJ Nessler, Gavin Miller and Caden Dulin each collecting two. Miller drove in two runs on two RBI singles. Jayden Melendez also drove in a pair of runs on an RBI single in the seventh inning. Luke Cantwell went 1-3 with two runs scored, a single, a walk and an RBI sacrifice fly.

Pitt's starting pitcher Patrick Gardner picked up where he left off last week and was cruising through the first four innings. Gardner had allowed just one hit through four scoreless frames, and, at the time, he had thrown ten-consecutive shutout innings dating back to last week. He earned his second win in as many starts and struck out six over five innings.

Kyle Demi threw a scoreless sixth inning for Pitt, striking out two and picking off a runner at first. Left-hander Ethan Firoved earned his second multi-inning save this season, tossing three no-hit innings, striking out four and allowing one unearned run. Firoved has a 0.87 ERA in 10.1 innings this season. He has 13 strikeouts and has allowed just one earned run in three appearances.

The Panthers scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Luke Cantwell led off the game with a single through the left side, Ryan Zuckerman worked a walk and Pitt had runners at first and second with nobody out. AJ Nessler ripped a double down the first base line and drove in Cantwell for the first run of the ballgame. With two runners now in scoring position, Lorenzo Carrier skied an RBI sacrifice fly to center that brought home Zuckerman from third and gave the Panthers an early 2-0 lead.

Pitt added two more runs in the top of the second inning and extended their lead to four. The Panthers loaded the bases with nobody out as Sebastian Pisacreta reached on an error, Caden Dulin singled and David Pedanou walked. In Cantwell's second at-bat in as many innings, he drove in Pisacreta from third on a sacrifice fly to right center. Zuckerman followed that with an RBI single to left. The Panthers held that four-run lead until the fourth inning.

UNC Greensboro tacked on three runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut Pitt's lead to just one.

The Panthers would respond with a three-spot of their own in the top of the seventh inning. Cantwell and Nessler led off the inning with walks and each advanced into scoring position on a Lorenzo Carrier single to left. Jayden Melendez dropped a two-run single down the right field line that scored Cantwell and Nessler before being cut down at second trying to advance an extra base. With Carrier now at third, Gavin Miller laced an RBI single through the left side that scored Carrier and expanded the Panther lead back to four. They led 7-3 after seven.

The Spartans and Panthers exchanged runs in the bottom of the eighth and top of the ninth. Gavin Miller lined his second RBI single of the game into left and drove in Nessler from second as the Panthers once again led by four runs.

Ethan Firoved went out for his third inning of work in the bottom of the ninth and earned his second multi-inning save of the season. Pitt took the series opener by a final score of 8-4.

LHP Ryan Reed will make his third start of the season tomorrow afternoon. Last weekend Reed tossed seven scoreless frames in a win over Monmouth. First pitch is set for 2 PM.