Panthers pick up road win at Youngstown State

NILES, Ohio Jayden Melendez and Sky Duff each hit in the two-period run highlights a 13-7 victory for the Pitt baseball team (13-13) over Youngstown State (6-21) on Tuesday at Eastwood Field.

Eight of the nine hits in the Pitt lineup collected a hit in the victory Kyle Hess led the way in a 2-for-5 performance that included a triple, two RBIs, a walk and a run scored. CJ Funk, Justin Acal and Anthony LaSala each collected a double to help the Panthers add six RBIs on the day. Pitt collected 14 walks in the win Jack Anderson draws four of them and Funk draws three.

“I think the lineup did a great job,” the head coach Mike Bell said. “Quality up and down the lineup. I thought our pitch selection was great. We got the walks we needed to build innings.”

on the hill, Erubiel Candelario gave Pitt five strong scoreless innings in relief, recording seven strikeouts and allowing just two hits and three walks. He earned the win, improving to 2-0 on the year.

“I thought Candelario, when he settled in late, gave us some length in the middle and back half of the game,” Bell said.

Pitt took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Anderson hit a single to left and later scored on a passed ball.

Youngstown State responded by scoring four runs on three hits in the first half of the home opener to take a 4-1 lead.

The Panthers responded with a five-run second. Acal drew a leadoff walk to set the table for a two-run home run to left, Melendez’s third of the year. LaSala drew a walk and took second base one out later, then Anderson drew a walk to put two on Hess, who tripled to right to put Pitt back in front, 5-4. Hess scored on an RBI groundout Noah Martinez giving the Panthers a two-run advantage.

The Penguins scored two runs on three hits in the second inning to tie the game, but Pitt took the lead in the third when Acal led off with a double to left and later scored on Anderson’s sacrifice fly.

Pitt’s lead increased to 9-6 in the fourth set. Martinez drew a leadoff walk and Funk followed with a ground-rule double to left to plate a two-RBI single up the middle AJ Nessler.

Youngstown State got a run back in the bottom of the fourth to make it a two-run game.

The Panthers added four more in the seventh. LaSala led off with a double down the left field line. Duff followed with his second home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center. Pitt scored two more runs in the frame when Anderson, who drew a walk, and Martinez, who reached on a fielder’s choice, both scored on wild pitches.

Pitt returns to Charles Cost Field to host Notre Dame in a three-game ACC series. The first game will be played on Thursday at 15:00. The second game will be played on Friday at 15:00 on the first court. The final of the series will be played on Saturday at 1 p.m

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