Playing in PNC Park is something Penn State baseball players will remember for the rest of their lives.
They’ll like to remember the experience but would probably be fine if they forget the result.
Playing in-state rival Pitt, PSU fell behind early and never came close to recovering, dropping this late-season out-of-conference matchup 15-1.
Pitt scored five in the bottom of the second and never looked back.
Pitt got the scoring started in the bottom second when a single by Sebastian Pisacreta scored Ryan Zuckerman. Zuckerman reached on a leadoff triple that got past a diving Penn State centerfielder Paxton Kling.
Jayden Melendez made it 3-0 two batters later on a two-RBI single that scored A.J. Nessler and Pisacreta. Pitt got two more runs on a Caden Dulin single.
Penn State’s offense showed life in the second on a solo shot by leadoff man Ryan Weingartner. But Pitt exploded for five more in the bottom of the fifth to virtually put the game to bed, and added two more in the sixth to put the game in Mercy Rule territory.
A three-run homer by Lorenzo Carrier made it 15-1.
Penn State ends its regular season with a weekend series against Xavier May 15-17. The Big Ten Tournament is scheduled for Monday, May 19, through Saturday, May 25, in Omaha.
