PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Penn State baseball team fell 10-0 against Pitt on Tuesday afternoon at Charles L. Cost Field. The Nittany Lions trailed 1-0 going into the seventh, but the Panthers exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the seventh and sealed a run-rule victory with a homer in the eighth. Penn State is now 23-23 overall, while Pitt is 24-26.
Penn State split the season series with the Panthers after winning 10-1 on March 26.
James Lordi made his first career start for Penn State. He tossed three innings, allowing one run on two hits. Lordi recorded a career-high five strikeouts and walked three batters. Lordi did not allow a hit or run until the third inning.
Chic DeGaetano threw one scoreless inning, giving up one hit. Mason Butash fired two scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out one. David Lee worked one-third of an inning and was charged with four runs on two hits and two walks. Ben DeMell gave up four runs on three hits over one-third of an inning. Connor Throneberry worked one-third of an inning, giving up one run.
Aidan Coleman got the start for Pitt, throwing 4.2 scoreless frames. He allowed five hits and a walk, while striking out four. Ryan Partridge went 1.2 shutout innings and struck out one. Kyle Mosley threw 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing six hits.
Penn State tallied 11 hits and left eight runners on base. J.T. Marr contributed two hits, including a double, for his 25th multi-hit game of the season. Adam Cecere recorded two base knocks, while Tayven Kelley added two hits. Bryce Molinaro extended his hit streak to 11 games with a single.
With two hits on the day, Marr now owns 79 hits on the year. He moved into fourth in a season at Penn State, jumping Lance Thompson (77; 2006), Matt Cavagnaro (78; 2007) and Brian Ernst (78; 2008). He is three hits behind Jordan Sternka (82; 2012) for third and will look to become the first Nittany Lion with 80 hits in a season since Steranka.
The Nittany Lions were shut out for the first time since May 6, 2023 at Rutgers.
Pitt notched 10 runs on 10 hits. Jayden Melendez hit two homers, totaling four RBI. Dom Popa collected two hits, including a double, and drove in two runs. Jake Kendro added two hits and two RBI.
In the top of the first, Marr lined a double down the right field line. Cecere followed with a single to right to put runners on the corners. However, a line drive by Bobby Marsh was snagged by the first baseman, who stepped on first to complete the double play.
The Panthers got on the board in the third. With one out, Popa sent a single through the middle. Luke Cantwell was hit-by-pitch to put runners on first and second. Two batters later, C.J. Funk lined a single to left to bring home Popa. Pitt led 1-0.
In the top of the seventh, Grant Norris dropped a single into right-center with one out. Two batters later, Matt Maloney dribbled a single through the middle to put runners on first and second. Kelley sent a single through the left side, but Norris was thrown out at the plate to end the inning and keep the score at 1-0.
Pitt added six runs in the bottom of the seventh. Kendro dropped down a bunt for a leadoff single. A sac bunt moved Kendro to second before Cantwell walked. Melendez lifted a 3-1 pitch over the wall in left for a three-run homer. The inning continued as a walk by Funk, a single by Justin Fogel and a walk by Tyler Bischke loaded the bases. Sebastian Pisacreta held off on a 3-2 pitch for a walk as Funk scored. A single by Kendro brought in Fogel and Bischke and a double by Popa drove in Pisacreta and Kendro to extend Pitt's lead to 9-0.
In the top of the eighth, Kevin Michaels started the inning with a single to left. Joe Jaconski followed with a single to center. Two batters later, Cecere reached on an infield single. After a strikeout, Norris lifted a fly ball to right but it was caught to end the frame.
Melendez led off the eighth for Pitt, launching a fly ball over the wall in left to push Pitt's lead to 10-0.
The Nittany Lions conclude the regular season this weekend, May 16-18, at Maryland. Thursday and Friday are set for 6 p.m. starts, while Sunday is a 2 p.m. first pitch.
For updates on the Penn State baseball team, please follow @pennstatebase on X and Instagram.
The 2024 Penn State baseball season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
James Lordi