PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — The Pittsburgh Panthers look to rebound from a weekend road loss when they host the struggling Bucknell Bison in a non-conference matchup Wednesday at Petersen Sports Complex.

First pitch is scheduled for late afternoon, with temperatures expected to be near freezing under cloudy skies.

The Panthers (4-2) enter having split a four-game road trip in Texas, most recently falling 5-2 to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Sunday. Pittsburgh’s bullpen was a bright spot in the loss, with reliever Joey Ciancimino striking out five over 2 2/3 hitless innings. Ciancimino is a key arm to watch for the Panthers.

Bucknell (1-5) snapped a five-game season-opening skid with a 4-1 win at Radford on Saturday. The victory was fueled by a stellar combined pitching effort. Starter Brady Hoar was dominant, tossing six no-hit innings with three strikeouts. Reliever Tyler Seidman followed with four strikeouts over two hitless frames, and Michael Trommer provided the offense with a solo home run.

Hoar’s recent performance makes him Bucknell’s primary player to watch. The Bison will need similar pitching to contend with a Pittsburgh lineup that has shown potency, scoring 17 runs in a win over Western Michigan and 14 in a shutout of Cal State Bakersfield last week.

Despite Bucknell’s momentum from its first win, the Panthers are heavily favored. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-3 Pittsburgh victory.

Following this contest, Pittsburgh begins a three-game home series against UNC Greensboro on Friday. Bucknell returns home to open a three-game set with Merrimack on Friday.