Pitt bows out of ACC Tournament in semifinal loss to N.C. State

With two outs in the ninth inning of Pitt’s 8-3 loss to N.C. State in an ACC Tournament semifinal game Saturday night, three Panther teammates gathered in the dugout, watching the end of the game, their arms draped over each other’s shoulders.

Finally, it ended — the game and, most likely, the season.

N.C. State closer Chris Villaman struck out Pitt’s Brock Franks for the final out at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C., sending the 10th-seeded Wolfpack (36-20) into the championship game Sunday against No. 8 North Carolina. N.C. State is seeking its first ACC title since 1992.

The final inning started hopefully for the Panthers when Wolfpack relief pitcher Justin Lawson walked Ron Washington Jr. and Bryce Hulett, putting the five-run lead in mild jeopardy. But Villaman halted any hopes of an incredible comeback by striking out Jack Anderson, C.J. Funk and Franks in succession.

Pitt fell behind early, with starter Logan Evans giving up three home runs that lifted N.C State to a 5-0 lead after one inning.

Leadoff hitter Devonte Brown ignited the long-ball blitz, followed by designated hitter Tommy White’s NCAA freshman-record 27th of the season, breaking a standard that had stood for 32 years. Dominic Pilolli’s two-run homer punctuated the inning.

Pitt (29-27) scored two unearned runs in the fourth, but N.C. State answered with three of its own in the bottom of the inning. Washington’s home run in the seventh — his 15th of the season and 35th of his five-year Pitt career — was the only run either team scored in the final five innings.

Pitt stranded 14 runners, getting only two hits in 16 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

“Just couldn’t get the big hit,” Pitt coach Mike Bell said. He said the difference in the game was “(the Wolfpack’s) ability to get the big hit with two outs and two strikes and our lack of ability to do that.”

Pitt’s hopes for its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1995 when it was a Big East member were shattered by the defeat. The Panthers made a run in the ACC Tournament with victories against Georgia Tech and No. 2 seed Louisville. But Pitt was 1-8 in the final games of the regular season.

“That’s in somebody else’s hands,” Bell said. “I felt like coming into this thing, we’ve been down this road before. It’s something we talked about as a program last year. You don’t ever want to leave it in somebody else’s hands.

“Can we play with anybody in the country? No doubt about it. They (tournament committee members) have the hardest job in the world. They have to pick 64 teams. They have to look like they’re not biased. They have to reward mid-majors as well as Power 5s.

“Then, you have the rivalries of the conferences. Who should get 11 teams? Who should get nine? There’s no right answer. I know this: This team will give a dogfight with anybody, any regional in the country. Anybody in our conference will. That’s what I think of our conference. That’s why I chose this job four years ago.

“If you can survive the grind of this league, it prepares you for championship baseball. If you can compete with these guys here, you can make a run to Omaha (and the College World Series). It just takes the time to get hot. We’re that close to busting through, and we will.”