Pitt baseball had already secured the series win over Virginia after dominant pitching guided them to wins in games one and two. The game came down to the final three innings, during which the Cavaliers (9-10 overall, 3-9 ACC) scored six runs to put the Panthers (11-5 overall, 8-4 ACC) away and salvage a game in the three-game set.
The Panthers exhibited some of their trademark grit by chipping away at an early three-run deficit. They took advantage of key defensive mistakes. In the fifth inning Pitt had two on and no one out after sophomore shortstop Brock Franks singled and junior designated hitter Sky Duff reached on a dropped flyball by Virginia left fielder senior Brendan Rivoli, who lost the ball in the afternoon sun.
Two batters and two outs later, the Cavaliers appeared poised to end the threat without any damage done. Junior outfielder Ron Washington Jr. rolled a routine ground ball to third, but third baseman Zack Gelof made an errant throw to first. Because there were two outs, both Franks and Duff were off with contact. Their head starts allowed both to score.
The next inning, Franks extended his hitting streak to four games with an RBI single which knotted the game at four.
The Pitt bullpen, despite being well rested after the starting pitchers in games one and two threw and combined 17 of 18 total innings, was unable to tie down the Virginia offense in the late frames.
Sophomore righty C.J. McKennitt let up a pair of runs in the sixth. Then junior Chase Smith took the loss — his first of the year — after surrendering two runs on three hits in the seventh inning. And Sophomore righty Dominic Verrastro surrendered the final two scores in only ⅓ innings of work.
Panther pitching was a shell of the dominant form it displayed through games one and two. The six who made appearances on Monday afternoon walked five, struck out only four and allowed 11 hits.
Senior second baseman David Yanni stayed hot for Pitt, mashing his fourth home run of the last six games — a solo shot to right field — in the top of the second inning.
Pitt’s brief stint alone atop the ACC Coastal Division has been interrupted. After dropping Monday’s contest, the Panthers are now tied with Georgia Tech and North Carolina for first place in the division.
The Panthers will return to action on Wednesday for the home opener vs. Bucknell. First pitch from Charles L. Cost Field is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
Any update you can provide on Corcoran?
Hi, CK
I spoke with Mike Bell last week who said Corcoran is working his way back from an injury and is in the middle of a rehab throwing program. Didn’t specify what the nature of the injury was, but I would assume upper body if he is rehabbing by throwing. Still, that’s just my best guess. Bell did say timetable for Corcoran’s return was 4-5 weeks from last Wednesday when we spoke.
Hope that helps.