CORPUS CHRISTI, TX \u2013\u00a0The Pitt Panthers improved to 4-1 on the season, and 2-0 in the Kleberg Bank College Classic, with a 14-0 shutout of Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n
In a game where the Panther offense scored 14 runs,\u00a0Vincent Spizzoucco<\/a>\u00a0stole the show on the mound. The left-hander dazzled in his second start of the season, allowing just two base runners over seven scoreless innings. He would go on to strike out six batters throughout those seven innings.<\/p>\n He’s the first Panther to throw seven shutout innings since\u00a0Ryan Reed<\/a>\u00a0did against Miami on April 7th\u00a0of last year. It’s Pitt’s first shutout victory since April 30, 2025, when they shutout Akron 11-0.<\/p>\n Eight of Pitt’s nine starters all recorded a hit.\u00a0Lorenzo Carrier<\/a>\u00a0hit his first home run of the season and drove in four runs in the win this afternoon. His outfield counterpart\u00a0Julian Irizarry<\/a>, who is now hitting .500 on the year, went 2-2 with two RBIs and two walks today.\u00a0Caden Dulin<\/a>\u00a0joined Irizarry in going 2-2 with two RBIs and two walks while he scored a season-high three runs. Pitt leadoff man\u00a0AJ Nessler<\/a>\u00a0continued to produce, going 1-4 with and RBI.<\/p>\n The Panther bats were hot out of the gate this afternoon, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning.\u00a0AJ Nessler<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Caden Dulin<\/a>\u00a0each worked walks to lead off the game and set up Pitt’s offense. After both were moved up into scoring position on a groundout,\u00a0Lorenzo Carrier<\/a>\u00a0drove them in on a two-run single to left.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pitt extended their lead in the top of the third with a\u00a0Caden Dulin<\/a>\u00a0sacrifice fly to right field.\u00a0Julian Irizarry<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0AJ Nessler<\/a>\u00a0each singled to lead off the frame and moved up a base on a wild pitch. With Irizarry now at third, Dulin was able to drive him in on a fly ball to right-center.\u00a0Vincent Spizzoucco<\/a>\u00a0worked another scoreless inning in the bottom of the third and the Panthers led by three through three.<\/p>\n Sebastian Pisacreta<\/a>\u00a0lined a two-out double off the right field wall, putting himself in scoring position in the top of the fourth inning. Following a\u00a0Jackson Cooke<\/a>\u00a0walk,\u00a0Julian Irizarry<\/a>\u00a0extended Pitt’s lead to four by driving in Pisacreta from second.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Panthers added three more runs in the top of the fifth inning as they grabbed a 7-0 lead.\u00a0Lorenzo Carrier<\/a>\u00a0launched his first home run of the season on a two-run shot to right.\u00a0Joey Baran<\/a>\u00a0worked a walk in the following at-bat and advanced to second on a wild pitch. With Baran now in scoring position,\u00a0Trey Fenderson<\/a>\u00a0would drive him in on a single to left and extend Pitt’s lead to seven.<\/p>\n Spizzoucco continued to deal on the mound for Pitt, allowing just one base runner through his now five scoreless innings.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pitt continued to add to their lead, exploding for a five-run top of the seventh inning. Two hit-by-pitches and a walk loaded the bases for\u00a0Julian Irizarry<\/a>\u00a0who also worked a walk that brought home\u00a0Joey Baran<\/a>.\u00a0AJ Nessler<\/a>\u00a0grounded an RBI fielder’s choice to third that scored Pisacreta from third but nabbed Irizarry at second, making it a 9-0 ballgame.\u00a0<\/p>\n With runners now on the corners,\u00a0Caden Dulin<\/a>\u00a0laced an RBI double to left that would score\u00a0Jackson Cooke<\/a>\u00a0and move Nessler all the way to third. Two pitches later,\u00a0Kai Wagner<\/a>\u00a0drove in two runs of his own on a single to right and the Panthers led 12-0 in the seventh.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vincent Spizzoucco<\/a>\u00a0finished his day with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, capping off his seven shutout-inning performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n