Maine baseball tops in the Wild Season Opener

SARASOTA, Fla. — The Pitt baseball team (1-0) defeated Maine (0-1), 11-10, on Friday in the wild opener of the 2023 season at Ed Smith Stadium.

The Panthers broke a 7-all tie with four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, then held on in the top of the ninth as the redshirt junior right-handed pitcher. Brady Devereux came out of the bullpen and closed the door on the Black Bears.

Freshman infielder Anthony LaSala went 3-for-4 in his first career start with two RBIs and two runs scored to help Pitt win. The second-year right-handed pitcher Jonathan Bautista gave the Panthers three scoreless innings of relief.

Pitt opened a four-run eighth with a junior catcher Johnny Long III reach on a throwing error and then advance to second on a sacrifice by the junior fielder Pop’s home. LaSala chased Maine junior right-handed pitcher Colton Carson out of the game with a single to right, putting runners on the Panthers’ corners. A graduate student infielder’s walk Sky Duff loaded the bases, then a junior outfielder CJ Funk induced a walk of his own to push over Long III and break the deadlock. The senior infielder is behind two RBI singles Noah Martinez extended Pitt’s lead to three runs. Later, Funk and Martinez completed a double steal that saw Funk score to make it 11-7.

However, Maine did not go quietly in the ninth. A two-run home run by junior infielder Quinn McDaniel cut Pitt’s lead to 11-9, and the Black Bears got another run on a fielder’s choice with two outs to make it a one-run game. However, Devereux denied Maine’s comeback attempt, even after getting graduate student Dylan McNary to end the game.

Maine opened the scoring to start the new season, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run homer by sophomore first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins.

Pitt responded with a run in its own half as the first freshman outfielder AJ Nessler drew a bases-loaded walk in his first career plate appearance to bring home Martinez and make it a one-run game.

The Panthers took a 4-2 lead with two runs in the second and another in the third, highlighted by Duff’s two-RBI double to center in the second that brought home LaSala and Popa.

Maine got back on Jenkins’ solo shot in the fourth, but Pitt answered with three more runs in the home half. RBI double down the left field line by the sophomore outfielder Tommy Tavarez goal senior infielder Jack Anderson and got a three set frame going.

The Black Bears retaliated with a four-run fifth to tie it at 7, but Bautista’s strong bullpen effort kept the score tied until the Panthers broke through with a big eight.

Anderson led Pitt at the plate with a 4-for-6 day that included two doubles and a run scored. Tavarez joined Anderson and LaSala with multiple hits.

Made his first career start on the mound as a Panther, a junior right-handed pitcher Kyle Mosley struck out five over four innings.

Pitt and Maine meet again on Saturday in the second game of a three-game weekend in Sarasota. First pitch is scheduled for 12 noon. The match can be seen on FloBaseball.

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