Pitt baseball drops series to Virginia Tech, two games to one

Pitt’s baseball team raced out to a 10-2 start this season. But the Panthers (11-4) had their momentum cooled over the weekend as the team dropped its opening ACC series of the year, losing two games to one to Virginia Tech.

The Pitt bats got off to a slow start in the series. The Panthers managed only two runs in first two contests, losing 4-1 on Friday, then 3-1 in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday. Pitt rebounded in a big way, though, in Game 3. The Panthers found themselves on the right end of a 15-10 game to salvage one in the series.

While it was great to see Pitt get one game to avoid a sweep, hopes were undoubtedly higher. Virginia Tech was only 6-7 coming into the series and this looked like one that the Panthers could win. And in a difficult conference, they’re going to be the underdog more times than not.

One positive from the weekend is that the Panthers got some decent pitching efforts. Starter Derek West allowed four runs in Game 1 but none were earned. After he exited, Pitt’s relievers kept Virginia Tech scoreless. Game 2 saw another solid pitching effort. Senior Matt Pidich allowed only one run in his five innings of work. While Pitt did give up a couple of runs in relief, allowing three runs is a pretty decent effort. The Panthers’ pitchers were beat around in Game 3 but the team still managed to win that one.

Pitt will face Youngstown State on Tuesday in the home opener before playing North Carolina in a road series over the weekend.

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