Baseball Rallies Past Pittsburgh

Friday, March 4

Fayetteville, NC

3 PM

Army West Point

2-5

Pitt

5-4

Pitt

Army

Baseball Rallies Past Pittsburgh

March 04, 2022 | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Behind a three-run eighth inning, the Army West Point baseball team grabbed a 5-3 victory over the University of Pittsburgh on Friday night at Segra Stadium.

Facing a 3-2 deficit, the Black Knights (2-5) first tied things up in the bottom of the frame when Ross Friedrick's RBI single drove in Andre Walden. The team then grabbed its lead after Carter Macias roped a two-RBI double and Hunter Meade skied a sac fly into center field, pushing the Cadets to their final margin of victory.

Army used six different arms throughout the night, with Sean Dennehy (1-1) earning the win. The southpaw retired two batters in the top of the eighth before handing things over to Tanner Gresham in the following inning, who recorded two punchouts and worked around a walk in order to earn his first save of the season.

The Black Knights cranked out their second-most hits of the campaign, finishing the night with 10. Meade led the team at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one RBI. Four different players accounted for the team's five runs, with Walden scoring twice.

Consistency was key for Pitt's (5-4) offense early on, as runners reached base in each of the five opening frames. The Panthers used a solo shot, a sac fly and an RBI walk to take a 3-0 lead over a three-inning spread that began in the second and ended in the fifth. Starting pitcher Patrick Melampy was on the mound for all three runs, though only two were earned.

On the other side of the ball, Army's offense was slower to start off. The team struggled to string anything together, leaving five runners stranded over the course of five frames. The Black Knights finally ended the shutout in the bottom of the sixth when Cerruto cranked out a two-RBI double that plated both Walden and Ruta, cutting Pitt's edge down to just one run at 3-2.

After stranding two runners in the seventh, the Cadets staged their comeback in the eighth. Pinch-runner Kevin Luke and Cerruto joined Walden by crossing home plate to boost Army to its win.

Coach's Corner
"We have consistently talked about putting it together in all three phases of the game and we did a better job with that as a group today. Defense, timely hitting, and minimizing the big inning led to this team win." – Head Coach Jim Foster

What's Next
The Black Knights will continue the All-American Classic on Saturday evening with a 5 p.m. game against Campbell. Following the outing against the Camels, Army will close out the weekend with an 11 a.m. game opposite Ohio State on Sunday.

Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point Baseball, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_Baseball and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.