Pitt Storms Back to Take Series Opener at Louisville

Friday, March 27

Louisville, KY

5 PM

Pitt

18-6, 4-3

Louisville

16-10, 3-4

Pittsburgh

Louisville

Pitt Storms Back to Take Series Opener at Louisville

3/27/2026 9:35:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

LOUISVILLE, KY – The Pitt Panthers (18-6, 4-3 ACC) scored four runs in the final two innings to take their series-opener at Louisville (16-10, 3-4 ACC) on Friday night.

Trailing 2-0 in the top of the eighth inning, Pitt took the lead with a three-run inning capped by a Sebastian Pisacreta RBI double. After Louisville tied the game in the bottom of the eighth, the Panthers came right back with a run in the top of the ninth inning to take the lead and the series opener.

A Cardinal baserunner tried to catch the Panther defense sleeping with two outs in the ninth but was picked off at second base by Mikey Gray to end the game.

The Panthers' top of the order accounted for five of Pitt's six hits on Friday. AJ Nessler collected his 13^th multiple-hit game this season going 2-4 with a run scored and the game-winning RBI on a sacrifice fly. Caden Dulin led all players with his three-hit day on Friday. Dulin went 3-5 with a double and a run scored. Sebastian Pisacreta drove in a run on a go-ahead double in the eighth inning.

David Leslie gave the Panthers a quality start on the mound, allowing just one earned run and three hits over five innings. Andrew Luczak and Chase Kriebel each tossed scoreless frames in the middle innings to keep the Panthers in it. Mikey Gray escaped a jam in the eighth inning and threw a scoreless ninth to secure his third win of the season.

Louisville opened the scoring with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the second inning. They added a run on a sacrifice fly in the fourth and led 2-0 after the first four innings.

After scoreless innings in the middle frames, the Panthers took the lead in the top of the eighth with a three-run inning. Pitt strung together back-to-back singles which put runners at first and second with one out for Lorenzo Carrier. After Carrier worked a 2-0 count and the runners each moved up ninety feet on a wild pitch, the Cardinals would intentionally walk him to load the bases.

Trey Fenderson drove in Pitt's first run of the game on a sacrifice fly to center that scored Nessler and moved Dulin up to third. A failed back-pick attempt by the catcher to third base allowed Dulin to score and knot the game at two. Lorenzo Carrier stole second on the play and moved up to third on the throwing error. Two pitches later, Sebastian Pisacreta gave the Panthers the lead with an RBI double down the left field line. Pitt led 3-2 after the top of the eighth inning.

Louisville put a few baserunners on in the bottom half of the inning and tied the game at three heading into the ninth.

Joey Baran worked a pinch-hit walk in the top of the ninth inning and was pinch-ran for by Zach Walsh. Walsh advanced from first all the way to third on a wild pitch, putting himself in prime scoring position. The extra base Walsh took proved to be crucial when AJ Nessler drove him in on a sacrifice fly to right to give the Panthers the lead in the ninth.

Mikey Gray shut the door in the ninth inning as Pitt went on to win the series opener, 4-3 in Louisville. With two outs in the ninth, a Cardinal baserunner tried to catch the Panther defense sleeping but was picked off at second base by Gray to end the game.

Pitt will look to clinch the series tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is slated for 2 PM, LHP Vincent Spizzoucco will make his seventh start of the season.