PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team dropped an 11-3 decision against Pitt on Tuesday night at PNC Park. The Nittany Lions trimmed their deficit to 4-2 in the sixth, but the Panthers answered with four runs in the bottom half of the inning and held the lead from there. Penn State is now 24-23 overall, while Pitt moved to 23-27.
Penn State split the season series against the Panthers. The Nittany Lions won 16-8 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on March 28.
Pittsburgh native Ryan Partridge made his first career start for the Nittany Lions. He went four innings, giving up four runs on three hits. Partridge struck out two and walked two. Tommy Molsky tossed a full inning, allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk. Anthony Steele worked 1.1 frames, giving up three runs on a hit and a walk. Chad Rogers fired 1.2 scoreless innings and struck out five.
Jonathan Bautista got the start for Pitt, going three innings. He allowed one run on three hits and struck out four. Holden Phelps tossed 2.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits. Phelps struck out three and walked one. Quin Konuszewski threw 1.2 innings, giving up one runs on two hits. Brady Devereux and Ryan Reed each threw two-thirds of a scoreless inning. Nash Bryan recorded the final out.
Penn State tallied nine hits. Thomas Bramley recorded two hits, including an RBI double, while Bobby Marsh collected two base knocks and an RBI. Josh Spiegel drove in a run with an RBI double. CJ Pittaro singled and scored.
Pitt registered nine hits. Noah Martinez and Kyle Hess each had two hits, including a homer, and drove in three runs. Hess added a double. CJ Funk hit a solo homer and scored twice.
Penn State took an early lead in the top of the third. With one out, Pittaro hit a grounder through the middle. He moved up to second on a wild pitch. Bramley smoked a ground ball down the left field line and hustled to second as Pittaro raced home. Penn State led 1-0.
Pitt answered with three runs in the bottom half. Dom Popa drew a walk to start the inning. A sac bunt moved Popa to second and a ground out moved him to third. Jayden Melendez worked a walk to put runners on the corners. Martinez launched a fly ball just over the wall in center for a three-run homer. Pitt held a 3-1 lead.
The Panthers added a run in the fourth. With one out, Funk lifted a fly ball to center that just cleared the fence for a solo homer. Pitt extended its lead to 4-1.
Penn State got a run back in the sixth. With one out, Johnny Piacentino worked a walk. A single to right by Marsh placed runners on second and third. Spiegel lined a double off the wall in center to bring home Piacentino. Penn State cut its deficit to 4-2.
Pitt answered with four runs in the bottom half. Martinez and Jack Anderson started the inning with a single to left. The single by Anderson bounced past Marsh in left to score Martinez. A double by Hess placed runners at second and third. Funk drew a walk to load the bases. Justin Acal singled to left to bring home Anderson and Hess. A sac bunt by Popa moved Acal and Funk to second and third, respectively. A grounder by Anthony Lasala was misplayed, allowing Funk to score on the play. Pitt extended its lead to 8-2.
Pitt added three runs in the seventh. Melendez was hit by a pitch to start the inning. He advanced to second on a ground out. Anderson drew a walk to put two runners on base. Hess lifted a fly ball over the wall in center for a three-run homer to push Pitt's lead to 11-2.
Penn State scored in the top of the eighth. With one out, Piacentino lined a double off the wall in center. Marsh followed with a single to right to drive in Piacentino. An error on a ground ball by Spiegel placed runners at first and second. A walk by Grant Norris loaded the bases. However, a strikeout and a flyout ended the inning. Penn State trailed 11-3.
The Nittany Lions host Maryland for their final regular season series. The three-game set begins on Thursday, May 18 at 5 p.m. The series continues on Friday, May 19, at 5 p.m. and concludes with Senior Day on Saturday beginning at noon. All games will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
For the Maryland series, Friday features Bark in the Park Night, postgame fireworks and our 4 for $24 deal (four tickets, four hot dogs, four drinks for $24). In addition to senior day, Saturday features postgame autographs and a trading card giveaway.
For updates on the Penn State baseball team, please follow @pennstatebase on Twitter and Instagram.
Single game tickets for the 2023 Penn State baseball season are available here.
The 2023 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
Josh Spiegel