CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College baseball team mounted a ninth-inning rally to force extra innings on Wednesday against the visiting Pitt Panthers but could not take the win, falling 10-9 in 11 innings.
PC moves to 7-9-1 on the year and Pitt improves to 7-7. The Blue Hose next host UNC Asheville in a three-game weekend series to open Big South Conference play that opens on Friday at 3 p.m.
The Blue Hose clawed back from down 8-2 through four and a half innings to pull even late. Trailing 9-7 and down to its last three outs, PC posted two runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game. The frame began with a Brandon Martin (Gray Court, S.C.) leadoff single before a strikeout and pitching change brought up centerfielder Tyler Weyenberg (Marietta, Ga.). The freshman knocked a double to left field to put the tying run at second. A wild pitch allowed Martin to score and moved Weyenberg to third.
Coach Elton Pollock brought in Nathan Chong (Duluth, Ga.) to pinch hit and the senior blooped the payoff pitch to right field to tie the game and force extra innings.
Billy Motroni (Goose Creek, S.C.) played the first seven innings at second base before taking the mound in the eighth. The junior proved one of the team's effective pitchers, allowing only one hit in two innings to help PC stage its comeback bid. Reliever Trey Hayes (Belton, S.C.) entered the game in the 10th and held the Panthers scoreless in the top of the inning. The bottom of the frame passed with no score and the game moved into the 11th, where Pitt used a pair of singles to bring up Stephen Vranka with two outs. The Pitt centerfielder made contact and the ball glanced off of the third base bag, scoring one run for the Panther's six RBI of the day and a 10-9 lead.
Martin again led off the inning with a leadoff single, but a double play wiped the bases clear. Weyenberg worked the count and delivered a full count single—his fourth hit of the day, tying Brad Zebedis (Rock Hill, S.C.) for the team-high—but PC could not find the tying run again as Pitt held on for the win.
PC posted a season-high 21 hits against the Panthers as the two sides combined for 19 runs. Hayes took the loss to move to 0-1 despite allowing one run and fanning four in two innings. Pitt's Adam Dian blew the save but recovered to earn the win.
Pitt's Vranka led off the game with a solo home run in the first before the Blue Hose went ahead in the bottom of the second. An error allowed Weston Jackson (Greer, S.C.) to reach second and the sophomore took third on a passed ball. Another error allowed Jackson to score and Jacob Midkiff (Rock Hill, S.C.) to reach first. Midkiff eventually worked his way around the bases and came home on a Martin sacrifice fly as PC led, 2-1.
The Panthers plated four in the top of the fourth thanks to a two-run Nick Yarnall pinch-hit single and a two-run double from Vranka. Three more Pitt runs in the top of the fifth—two coming again from Vranka—gave the Panthers an 8-2 lead heading into the bottom of the frame.
In the fifth, PC loaded the bases with one out on a Martin walk. An errant pitch then hit Jay Lizanich (Greer, S.C.) to walk in a run and keep the bags full. Weyenberg made contact on a 2-2 pitch for a run-scoring fielder's choice and a Billy Motroni (Goose Creek, S.C.) single brought in another run to make it 8-5 in favor of the visitors.
Two more Blue Hose runs in the sixth cut the deficit to one run as PC continued to fight. Brandon Paul (Augusta, Ga.) and Jackson singles combined with an error put the runners on second and third for Midkiff, who ripped a double to center to score both and narrow the gap to 8-7.
Pitt's Eric Hess led off the seventh with a home run to add to Pitt's lead and set up PC's eventual ninth-inning dramatics.
PC committed zero errors and made several strong plays in the field, including a Weyenberg diving catch in the top of the third to rob Pitt of a hit.
Michael Trebendis (Fayetteville, Ga.) started the game for PC and allowed three runs on two hits in 3.1 innings.
