Bulldogs drop series finale with Pitt, 11-8

PITTSBURGH – Brandyn Durand homered for the third-straight game but the Bryant baseball team dropped its series finale with Pitt, 11-8, on Sunday afternoon at Charles L. Cost Field.

With the loss, the Bulldogs fall to 27-14 overall. Bryant is now 26-7 in its last 33 games and saw its string of seven-straight series victories come to a close.

Durand tied the game twice, with his three-run home run making it 5-5 in the fifth and his two-out double tying it at 6-6 in the seventh. He finished the weekend 6-for-14 with three home runs and seven RBI. Carmine Petosa extended his on-base streak to 44 games, reaching base safely with a double, HBP and a walk.

Bryant used seven pitchers in the game, with graduate student Liam LeVangie allowing one run over 3.0 innings in a starting role.

Game Information
Pitt 11, Bryant 8
Records: Bryant 27-14 | Pitt 18-22
Location: Charles L. Cost Field (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
W|L|S: Fernandez (3-4) | Trey Deitelbaum (0-1) | Fox (5)

Key Moments

• The Panthers broke a 6-6 tie with three runs in the seventh and then closer Phil Fox stranded the bases loaded in the eighth as Pitt held a 9-8 edge.

How it Happened

• Bryant opened the scoring with an unearned run in the second. Petosa and Daniel Baruch were both hit by a pitch to start the inning. Pitt then tried to turn an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play but the throw to first was wide, scoring Petosa.
• Pitt answered back in the bottom half as Josh Spiegel hit an opposite field home run to right field.
• LeVangie held the Panthers at bay for the first 3.0 innings, surrendering just the one run on four hits. He ended his outing by stranding runners on the corners in the third.
• The Panthers broke the tie in the fourth, scoring four times. Pitt took advantage of two hit batters and scored on a sac fly to make it 2-1. Jayden Melendez then hit a three-run home run to left to make it 5-1.
• Bryant punched right back with four runs in the top of the fifth inning. Gavin Greger and Justin Hackett both singled to put two on. Zyons then hit a chopper to second that the Panthers threw into left field, allowing Greger to score. Two batters later, Durand launched a game-tying three-run home run to center field.
• Pitt would retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth but Bryant was able to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Justin Hackett singled to start the inning and pinch runner Evan Blake came around to score as Durand laced the first pitch from reliever Fernandez into left center for a game-tying double.
• The Panthers would then plate three runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it 9-6.
• Bryant once again tried to answer as the first four batters of the eighth all reached. Blake nearly gave Bryant the lead as he slammed a line drive off the top of the high wall in left field for an RBI single. Noriega was then hit by an 0-2 pitch to make it 9-8. Pitt closer Phil Fox got a strikeout and a fly out from Bryant's 3-4 hitters to leave the bases loaded.
• Pitt answered with two runs of its own in the bottom of the eighth to make it 11-8.
• Bryant brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but Fox got back-to-back strikeouts to end it.

Inside the Box Score

• Bryant and Pitt both finished with 13 hits.
• LeVangie allowed one run on four hits over 3.0 innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out one.
• Toby Scheidt recorded two outs in the fourth, allowing four runs on three hits.
• M.T. Morrissey struck out the only batter he faced to end fourth.
• Bradley Lewis recorded one in the fifth.
• Trey Deitelbaum delivered 2.1 innings of relief. He allowed two runs on one hit, walked two and struck out two.
• Vincent Purpura allowed two runs on three hits over 1.1 innings in his collegiate debut.
• Noriega reached twice with a hit and an HBP, collecting an RBI.
• Durand went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run and an RBI double.
• Petosa reached three times with a double, an HBP and an intentional walk.
• Greger collected three hits and scored twice.
• Grady picked up two hits and scored a run.
• Hackett finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.
• Blake doubled, drove in a run and scored a run as a late game replacement.

Game Notes

• Bryant and Pitt were meeting for the first time in program history. Pitt won the series, 2-1.
• The Bulldogs are now 26-7 in their last 33 after starting the season 1-7.
• Bryant pitchers allowed 11 free bases for the second straight day. They walked six and hit six.
• Petosa extended his on-base streak to 41 games this season and 44 dating back to last season with an HBP in the second inning. It is the second longest on-base streak in program history. Robby Rinn reached in 50 straight during the 2016 season.
• Petosa now has 10 doubles in his last 11 games. He leads Bryant with 15 on the year.
• Zyons extended his on-base streak to 21 games.
• Durand homered in all three games of the series and now has eight on the year.
• LeVangie's outing was his longest of the season and his longest since he went 3.2 in his final outing of 2023.
• Dietelbaum's outing was his longest of the season.
• Purpura made his collegiate debut, going 1.1 innings of relief.
• Greger matched his season high with three hits.
• Grady posted his seventh multi-hit game.

Up Next
Bryant returns to Conaty Park to host Merrimack on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.