Johnstown, Pa. -- The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford baseball team brought the 2025 regular season to a close on Friday, falling in a pair of contests to Pitt-Greensburg. The Panthers lost game one 5-1, with the runs allowed in the final two frames. They fell behind early in game two, ultimately losing 10-0 in 7 innings. The games, which were played in Johnstown, PA, due to forecasted storms and field conditions in Bradford, also served as the Panthers' Senior Day, as 10 student athletes were recognized in a ceremony between contests.
As part of senior day festivities, the following student-athletes were recognized and thanked for their contributions to the program.
1 - Trey Ayers, Port Allegany, PA
2 - Blake Prestash, Philipsburg, PA
3 - Jake Soricone, Rochester, N.Y.
6 - Shawn Mannering, Smyrna, DE
7 - Joe Long, Cuba, N.Y.
18 - Kyle Kimoto, Mars, PA
26- Branson Scarantine, Anita, PA
33 - Maxwell Rogers, Bellefonte, PA
34 - Brayden Hageter, Cabot, PA
35 - Austin Kitsey, West Springfield, PA
Game One:
In the opener, starting pitcher Jake Sherdel was dominant through 5, but the Panthers would rue missed opportunities early, and the Bobcats took them down with 4 runs in the 7th.
Sherdel set down Pitt-Greensburg 1-2-3 in the first inning, and was quickly rewarded as the Panthers went in front in the bottom half of the inning. Trent Bielak lined a two-out triple into right center, and then scored when Alex Colwell crushed a pitch off the high fence in left field for an RBI single.
The junior right-hander kept the Bobcats silent in the next four frames, working around a two-out walk in the 2nd and a single in the 4th and an error to begin the 5th. The Panthers started each of the innings with a leadoff hit as Maxwell Rogers doubled to right in the 2nd, Tim Johnson singled up the middle in the third, and Blake Prestash lined a single into left in the 4th. They could not find the final hit to add to the lead, however, leaving two runners in scoring position to end two of the frames. In the 5th, Aiden Zimmerman drew a one-out walk, and moved to third on a fly out and a stolen base, but was left on 3rd as the inning ended.
The Bobcats finally touched up Sherdel in the 6th, tying the game with a run. Sherdel allowed a leadoff double, and then, after a ground out, saw the tying run score on a single through the right side. He was able to limit the damage, however, stranding the runner on third base after a stolen base, groundout, and strikeout. The Panthers were set down in order in the bottom of the frame, sending the game to the 7th tied at 1.
In the final frame, Sherdel walked the leadoff batter, but was then able to get two quick outs with a sacrifice bunt and a pop-up to the catcher. He was not able to escape the inning, however, as a walk extended the inning and a double down the left field line put Pitt-Greensburg in front. After the go-ahead run scored, the Panthers went to Brayden Hageter, who could not close the door on the inning, allowing 3 straight hits, which resulted in 3 more runs for the Bobcats. The Panthers put a runner on in the 7th with a one-out single, but could not advance the runner as the game ended two batters later.
Despite early brilliance, Jacob Sherdel (2-4) picked up the loss for the Panthers. He pitched 6.2 innings, allowing 4 earned runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 4. Brayden HAgeter got the final out with a strikeout after 3 singles and an earned run allowed. The Panthers finished the game with 6 hits with all of them coming from different batters. Trent Bielak hit a triple and scored the only run, driven in by Alex Colwell. Maxwell Rogers also had an extra-base hit, a 2nd inning double.
Game Two:
In stark contrast to its predecessor, Game Two started lightning fast as the visiting team scored 3 times in the 1st and never looked back, ultimately winning 10-0 in 7 innings.
Shawn Mannering got the start for the Panthers and ran into immediate trouble, as the Bobcats led off the game with a hit, and then, following a fly out, opened the scoring with a double to left center. Mannering hit the next batter with a pitch, and then,n after a passed ball, allowed a two-run single to left. He limited further damage in the frame, striking out a pair. The Panthers went down quickly in the bottom half, as only Noah Avey reached with a two-out single.
Mannering struck out two more over the next two innings, allowing only a 3rd inning walk to keep the deficit at three. The Panthers could not begin to cut into the margin, as they only put a runner on with two outs in each frame, a walk to Austin Kitcey in the 2nd, and a single by Jake Soricone in the 3rd.
Pitt-Greensburg touched up Mannering once more in the 4th, leading to a pitching change. After a leadoff walk, the Bobcats pushed a run across with a wild pitch and two ground balls. An error continued the inning, and Mannering would not finish the inning after the error, allowing a single and a two-run triple to the next two batters. He was relieved by Branson Scarantine, who allowed the inherited runner to score on a wild pitch but induced a groundout to strand a runner after a walk. Pitt-Bradford's offense threatened to rally in the bottom half when Seth Helgert singled to short and Joe Long reached on an error. The rally came to a sudden end, however, as the Panthers rolled into a 4-6-3 double play to finish the threat.
In the 5th, the Bobcats led off with an infield hit, but Scrantine got two outs on a strikeout and a fielder's choice. He would not get out of the inning unscathed, however, as the next three Bobcats singled to tack on two more runs, going ahead 9-0. Mallick Metcalfe led off the 5th with a hit and then moved to second after a one-out single by Kyle Kimoto. The rally once again came up short, as Soricone lined sharply into a double play to send the game to the 6th.
Freshman Carter Leviski entered the game in the 6th inning and worked around a leadoff single to post a 0 in the frame. After the Panthers went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning, the eBobcats scored one more run in the 7th to go ahead 10-0. They started the inning with a leadoff double and a walk, but LEviski retired the next two on a strikeout and a pop-up. A single to right brought in the run before a lineout to center ended the frame. Needing a run to extend the game, Long led off the 7th with a single, before Kitcey reached on a fielder's choice with an error, putting him on 2nd base with one out. He moved to third on a grounder to the right side and then was left stranded when Trey Ayers's shallow fly ball was caught on a full extension dive, ending the contest.
Shawn Mannering (3-5) picked up the loss after allowing 7 runs, 3 earned, on 5 hits and 2 walks in 3.2 innings pitched. He struck out 4. Branson Scarantine pitched 1.1 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits with one strikeout. Carter Leviski pitched the final 2.0 innings, allowing 1 run with a pair of strikeouts. As in game one, the Panthers finished the contest with 6 hits, all from different players. Each hit was a single.
The Panthers finish the regular season with a 14-16 record and a 4-10 mark in AMCC play. They have qualified for the AMCC Championship tournament as the #6 seed. They will begin he tournament on Wednesday, May 7th at 1:00 p.m. Their opponent has not yet been determined, as final seedings will be decided after the final conference double header wraps up over the weekend.
The Panthers will be heading back to Johnstown for the tourney, as it will be held at Sargent's Stadium at the Point. Virtual tickets for the event can be purchased at the link below. All tickets must be purchased online, as there will be no cash admission at the fields. A pass for all sessions is $30, with a single-day pass costing $10. Student tickets with a valid ID will be $5, and Children under 12 are free. The games will also be broadcast on the AMCC.TV site.
