Durand, Myler homer but Bulldogs fall to Pitt, 5-2, on Saturday

PITTSBURGH – Pitt broke a 2-2 tie with runs in the sixth and seventh and held on for a 5-2 victory over the Bryant baseball team on Saturday afternoon at Charles L. Cost Field.

With the loss, the Bulldogs fall to 27-13 overall. Bryant is now 26-6 in its last 32 games and will play the rubber match with the Panthers on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

On Saturday, Brandyn Durand and James Myler tied the game with sixth-inning solo home runs. The Panthers, however, broke the tie with a run in the sixth and added two insurance runs in the seventh. Durand finished with two hits, while Zac Zyons had three hits, including two doubles. Carmine Petosa extended his on-base streak to 43 games with a walk and a double.

Bryant used four pitchers on the afternoon, limiting Pitt to six hits. The Bulldogs, however, walked seven and hit four. Luke Delongchamp started and held the Panthers to one run on one hit over 4.0 innings.

Game Information
Pitt 5, Bryant 2
Records: Bryant 27-13 | Pitt 17-22
Location: Charles L. Cost Field (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
W|L|S: Jack Sokol (5-2) | Colin Brodeur (1-1) | Phil Fox (4)

Key Moments

• The Panthers broke a 2-2 tie on a safety squeeze in the bottom of the sixth. Bryant made a play on the runner at the plate but the tag was just late.

How it Happened

• Pitt opened the scoring with a one-out RBI double, the first hit of the game, into the left field corner in the fourth. The Bulldogs limited the damage with a pair of nice defensive plays. Carmine Petosa fielded a grounder at first and the Bulldogs were able to get the runner out at home in a run down. Shea Grady then snared a liner with the bases loaded to the end the inning.
• The Panthers extended the lead with a run in the fifth. A leadoff double came around to score on an infield ground out.
• Bryant tied the game with a pair of solo homers in the top of the sixth. Durand clobbered the first pitch of the inning 453 feet to dead center for his second home run of the series. One batter later, Myler lifted a drive down the right field line that just stayed fair, tying the game at 2-2.
• Pitt retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth as it took advantage of a hit batter and a walk. The Bulldogs hit a batter with one out and two wild pitches advanced him to third. Pitt then laid down a safety squeeze and flip to the plate was just late as the runner slid in safely. The Panthers would load the bases with one out but Zyons snared a liner up the middle and flipped to Shea Grady at second. The runner was ruled safe on the field but official review overturned the call, ending the inning.
• The Panthers pushed the lead to 5-2 with two runs in the seventh. The first came in as the Bulldogs turned a double play up the middle. A two-out walk restarted the inning, a stolen base followed and a two-out single made it 5-2.

Inside the Box Score

• Bryant outhit Pitt, 8-6.
• The Bulldogs turned three double plays on the afternoon.
• Luke Delongchamp allowed one run on one hit over 4.0 innings. He walked three and hit two on the afternoon.
• Colin Brodeur allowed two runs on one hit over 1.1 innings. He walked one and hit two batters.
• Sean Zaslaw allowed two runs on three hits over 1.2 innings. He walked three and struck out one.
• Ryan Bradley picked up a strikeout in a scoreless eighth inning.
• Zyons picked up three hits, including two doubles.
• Durand had two hits, including his second homer of the series.
• Myler also homered.
• Petosa and Evan Blake each picked up doubles.

Game Notes

• Bryant and Pitt were meeting for the first time in program history. The series is now even at a game apiece.
• The Bulldogs are now 26-6 in their last 32 after starting the season 1-7.
• Bryant pitchers allowed 11 free bases with seven walks and four hit batters.
• Six of Bryant's eight hits were for extra bases.
• Petosa extended his on-base streak to 40 games this season and 43 dating back to last season with his first-inning walk. It is the second longest on-base streak in program history. Robby Rinn reached in 50 straight during the 2016 season.
• Petosa now has nine doubles in his last 10 games. He leads Bryant with 14 on the year.
• Zyons extended his on-base streak to 20 games with his 14^th multi-hit game of the season.
• Zyons picked up his second three-hit game of the season and now has six doubles on the year.
• Zyons is now 6-for-11 with three doubles and five runs scored this week (3 games).
• Delonghcamp has allowed one run or less in six of his last starts this season.
• Durand has now homered twice in the series and has seven on the season.
• Myler's home run was the fifth of his career. He has homered off an ACC foe in back-to-back years (2023, Virginia Tech).   

Up Next
Bryant and Pitt will wrap up their weekend series on Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.