Pitt baseball claims two of three matchups in Texas

Pitt baseball headed to the Lone Star State last weekend to take part in the Kleberg Bank College Classic, coming away with two wins in three games thanks to effective pitching and clutch offense.

On Friday, the Panthers opened the weekend with a 6-2 victory over the Long Beach State Dirtbags. Pitt fell behind 1-0 early but minimized further damage after sophomore outfielder Julian Irizarry made an outstanding catch that shifted momentum. Senior outfielder AJ Nessler followed by hustling for a triple and later scoring on a wild pitch, tying the game 1-1 after three innings.

The score was even at 2-2 in the sixth inning. Long Beach State pushed a run across on an infield single, while redshirt junior Kai Wagner generated pressure on the basepaths and came around to score Pitt’s second run.

Pitt then broke the game open with four straight runs across the seventh and eighth innings. In the seventh, Wagner brought Nessler home with a sacrifice fly, and redshirt senior Lorenzo Carrier doubled to plate senior infielder Caden Dulin. During the eighth, Irizarry contributed to both runs — driving in junior catcher Sebastian Pisacreta with a double before later crossing the plate himself on a wild pitch.

Graduate student and right-hander David Leslie worked 5.2 innings, recording four strikeouts while allowing two earned runs. Senior left-hander Mikey Gray handled 3.1 innings in relief without giving up a run.

In the second game of the weekend, Pitt dominated Cal State Bakersfield 14-0 in a commanding performance. Graduate student Vincent Spizzoucco delivered seven shutout innings, surrendering just one hit and striking out six. Andrew Luczak and Michael Savarese combined to preserve the shutout late in the game.

The Panthers were explosive at the plate, with eight of nine starters collecting at least one hit. Lorenzo Carrier produced four RBIs via a two-run single and a two-run homer. Irizarry, Dulin, and Wagner each added two RBIs, continuing their strong showings. Nessler and senior infielder Anthony LaSala also chipped in with one RBI apiece.

On Sunday, Pitt was defeated 5-2 by Texas A&M Corpus Christi. The Panthers struggled early and trailed 4-0 after four innings. They responded in the fifth with an RBI walk from Carrier and a sacrifice fly by redshirt junior infielder Trey Fenderson. However, Pitt managed only three hits against the Islanders’ pitching staff.

The Panthers move to 4-2 through six contests this season. They’ll look to build momentum and continue stacking wins as the year unfolds. Their home opener is set for Wednesday at 3 p.m., when they host Bucknell.