Pitt Baseball HC Mike Bell Breaks Down Walk-Off Brawl Win

Pitt Baseball entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing West Virginia 9-5 on Tuesday, May 6. Recent history didn’t favor the Panthers: their last win against the Mountaineers came in 2022, and they suffered a run rule loss in Morgantown in early April. 

The Panthers didn’t blink.

“When you have the last at-bat, you have a chance, and the pressure was going to be on them in this scenario here,” Pitt head coach Mike Bell said after the 10-9 walk-off win. “Anytime you’re inside what we call slam range; you just want to get a couple guys on base and keep attacking.”

Ninth Inning Rally

Senior first baseman Luke Cantwell wore a pitch to open the inning, then Ryan Zuckerman drew a walk. With Mountaineers’ reliever Carson Estridge nearing his pitch limit, West Virginia head coach Steve Sabins substituted freshman Benjamin Hudson. Two pitches later, senior slugger Jayden Melendez lifted a fly ball into the winds swirling above Charles L. Cost Field on a rainy night. It carried over the wall in left-center, pulling the Panthers within a run. 

A MELENBOMB IN THE RAIN 💣💣

Not done yet!#H2P » #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/aWDaqOd65Y

— Pitt Baseball (@Pitt_BASE) May 7, 2025

“Jayden hit the three-run homer to get within one, then the next guy gets on and then you’re building it with a base hit to right and then a base hit over that guy, and then the hit by pitch,” Bell said, continuing to describe the rivalry. “As they’re going deeper in the bullpen, you just have to stay disciplined at the plate, find good pitches to drive. At the end of the day, all we do is put the ball in play, and that’s a good thing. Good things happen when you do that.”

The Panthers loaded the bases, tying the game on a fielders’ choice that saw Keeton Burroughs beat out a double play attempt, then pinch runner Anthony LaSala walked the Mountaineers off after a fielding error.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐂 𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐒 !!!

THE PANTHERS SCORE FIVE IN THE NINTH TO WALK OFF THE MOUNTAINEERS!!#H2P » #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/05NQfp4zWK

— Pitt Baseball (@Pitt_BASE) May 7, 2025

Pitt Baseball’s Path to Victory

The Panthers’ path to victory contained plenty of intrigue. After the top of the first inning, Bell had an intense discussion with Pitt baseball starting pitcher Drew Lafferty on the field. Lafferty allowed three runs to begin the game, allowing five straight baserunners to reach and permitting a double steal. Asked if he wanted to set the tone in a rivalry game, Bell attributed his reaction to the double steal.

“It was a teaching moment. Whether it’s a rivalry game or a Friday ACC game. We do things and we train certain ways, and we teach certain ways, and we expect those things to be performed. And when they’re not performed, we have to continue to teach,” Bell said. 

“With them stealing the bases, we have to do a better job of controlling them. We can’t give them free 90s. Keeping a guy at first base or keeping a guy at second base instead of allowing him to advance a base with a stolen base, that was a good teaching moment there. And whether it’s a rivalry game or an ACC game, they’re all important.”

Another moment that might have loomed large came in the seventh inning, when second baseman Caden Dulin appeared to tie the game with a home run down the left field line. While the third base umpire initially ruled the ball as fair, replay overturned the call on the field. Bell said he didn’t get a look at the play from his position in the dugout. After a win, at least, he wasn’t losing sleep over the call.

“I’m in the dugout… So, I’ll look at it later. At the end of the day, that one thing wasn’t gonna change this game: as you saw, things were going back and forth.”

Renewing the PNC Park Series?

Pitt Baseball faced off against WVU at PNC Park as part of a three game season series during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. This year, however, the Panthers opted to take on fellow rival Penn State at the big-league stadium, a midweek game set for Tuesday, May 13.

While he didn’t disclose the exact nature of his scheduling discussions with Pitt, Mountaineers head coach Steve Sabins said he hopes to make Brawl games at PNC Park an annual feature.

“I keep that between me and Mike [Bell], but I want to play three games against Pitt every year, if possible, just like the series we do with Marshall,” Sabins said. “So, I would like to play three games: one at home, one on the road and one at PNC every year if possible. We’re all in for that.”

Bell, on the other hand, seemed happy with the current set-up.

“We’ve tried to do one [PNC Park game] a year, and we have a PNC game this year.”