SAN JOSE, Calif. (Interstat) — Lorenzo Carrier continued his torrid offensive surge, going 5 for 6 with a home run and five RBIs to power the Pittsburgh Panthers to a 13-8 victory over the San Jose State Spartans in a nonconference baseball game Saturday evening.

The Panthers, who routed the Spartans 20-1 a day earlier, improved to 11-2 overall behind an 18-hit attack. San Jose State fell to 4-9.

The most critical sequence of the game occurred in the top of the fourth inning, transforming a tight contest into a comfortable Pittsburgh lead. The Panthers, ahead 5-0 after Sebastian Pisacreta’s solo homer in the second, saw their advantage erased in a chaotic bottom of the second. The Spartans sent 10 men to the plate, capitalizing on two Pittsburgh errors to score five runs, all unearned against starter Vincent Spizzoucco. Alex Fernandes delivered the biggest blow with a two-run triple.

Pittsburgh responded immediately in the third, reclaiming the lead at 7-5 on RBI singles from Carrier and a two-run single from Pisacreta. The game then turned decisively in the fourth. With one out, AJ Nessler tripled and scored on a throwing error during a fielder’s choice by Ethan Dulin. After a pitching change, Carrier stepped in and launched a two-run homer to left field, stretching the lead to 10-5 and sapping the Spartans’ momentum.

Carrier, the Panthers’ right fielder, added a two-run triple in the ninth inning to cap his stellar night. Over his last four games, Carrier is 11 for 15 with four home runs and 17 RBIs.

Nessler went 2 for 6 with a three-run homer in the fifth inning that effectively put the game out of reach at 13-5. Pisacreta finished 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs.

After the rocky second inning, Pittsburgh’s pitching stabilized. Spizzoucco (4-0) earned the win despite allowing five unearned runs on four hits over four innings. Reliever Daniel McAuliff provided five strong innings of relief to close it out, though he was charged with three runs in the ninth as San Jose State mounted a late rally.

The Spartans managed just seven hits. Fernandes drove in two runs, while Peyton Rowles had three RBIs, including a two-run single in the ninth. Peter Herrick recorded the final out of the top of the ninth for San Jose State.

The teams conclude their three-game series Sunday afternoon. Pittsburgh will visit Santa Clara on Tuesday before a weekend series at Stanford. San Jose State hosts California on Tuesday before opening a series with New Mexico next Friday.

The final score exceeded the projection of Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast an 8-3 Pittsburgh victory. The Panthers entered with a 63.5% win probability according to the service’s ELO system.