MORGANTOWN — Pitt ended an eight-game losing streak against rival West Virginia on Tuesday night, at Charles L. Cost Field in Pittsburgh, as the 13th-ranked Mountaineers blew a 9-5 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning for its third consecutive one-run loss against a nonconference opponent.
The Panthers (25-21), who had not defeated the Mountaineers since March 30, 2022, erased the deficit mainly off a three-run home run by Jayden Melendez. That cut into WVU’s lead, 9-8.
BOX SCORE
A.J. Nessler kept the inning going with a base hit. Sebastian Pisacreta followed with another base hit and Julian Irizarry was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs.
Nessler scored on a fielder’s choice to tie the game. With runners now on first and third, WVU head coach Steve Sabins elected to bring in outfielder Armani Guzman as an extra infielder with the hopes of turning a double play.
Gavin Miller hit a bouncer up the middle that Guzman attempted to make a play on, but the ball bounced off his glove and pinch runner Anthony LaSala scored the walk-off winner.
It was Pitt’s eighth victory of the season in which it trailed after the fifth inning.
The loss came six days after WVU (39-8) also committed an error in the infield in the ninth inning that allowed Marshall to win in walk-off fashion with a 7-6 victory. The Mountaineers also fell to Penn State, 3-2, on April 22.
Pitt players immediately charged the field going after Miller in celebration. WVU was left with a bus ride back to Morgantown wondering what had just happened.
In the moments leading up to the ninth, it appeared the Mountaineers had done enough to capture their 40th victory of the season, which would have tied a program record. WVU held a 4-0 lead by the end of the second inning. Sam White had an RBI single in the first that was followed by Logan Sauve scoring another run on a fielder’s choice and then White scored on Brodie Kresser’s ground ball.
Kyle West hit a solo home run in the second inning for the 4-0 lead.
WVU took a 6-3 lead in the top of the sixth, after West came through with an RBI single and Gavin Kelly scored on White’s sacrifice fly.
But the Panthers simply wouldn’t go away. They countered with two runs in the sixth from Pisacreta’s two-run home run to make it a 6-5 game.
WVU extended that lead to 9-5 when Jace Rineart scored two on a base hit in the eighth inning and Grant Hussey scored Kresser on a squeeze bunt in the top of the ninth inning.
Pitt started its comeback when WVU relief pitcher Carson Estridge plunked Luke Cantwell to start the inning. Sabins then went to reliever Ben Hudson, who walked Ryan Zuckerman and gave up the home run to Melendez. After giving up the base hit to Nessler, Hudson was replaced on the mound by Mac Stiffler, who was ultimately charged with the loss. WVU used a total of four pitchers in the inning. Only Reese Bassinger was able to record an out.
Rineart finished with three hits and two RBIs for the Mountaineers, who will now go for their 40th win of the season at 7 p.m. Friday, when WVU opens a three-game Big 12 series at Kansas State.
White added two hits and two RBIs for WVU, which had 10 hits and drew an additional 11 walks. The Mountaineers went just 5 for 19 (.263) with runners on base and ended up stranding nine runners.