KENT, Ohio (Interstat) — Antonio Doganiero delivered a dominant performance on the mound, and the Pittsburgh Panthers’ offense erupted for 12 runs in the eighth inning to turn a tight game into a 13-4 rout of the Kent State Golden Flashes in nonconference baseball Tuesday evening at Olga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium.

The game’s defining, decisive moment came in the top of the eighth inning. Leading 1-0 after seven innings of a pitcher’s duel, the Panthers sent 16 batters to the plate against three Kent State relievers. The inning featured five hits, six walks, a critical fielding error and a back-breaking grand slam.

The onslaught began with a walk to Caden Dulin and a single by Trey Fenderson that drove in a run. After a pitching change, Sebastian Pisacreta cleared the bases with a three-run double that was compounded by a Kent State error. Following two more walks and a single to re-load the bases, pinch-hitter Jackson Cooke connected for a towering grand slam to center field off Jordan Kolenda, capping the 12-run outburst and transforming a one-run nail-biter into a 13-1 blowout.

That historic inning rendered a brilliant starting performance from Kent State’s bullpen and overshadowed a masterful outing from Pittsburgh’s Doganiero. The Panthers’ starter was nearly untouchable, pitching seven strong innings and allowing just one earned run on two hits while striking out four. The lone blemish was a solo home run by Ripken Reese in the fourth inning. Doganiero’s effort provided crucial stability for Pittsburgh after a difficult relief appearance in his last outing against Georgia Tech.

Kent State’s pitchers had largely silenced the Panthers’ bats for seven innings. Starter Gavin Jones departed in the second, but relievers Evan Holewinski, Nick Guidas and Rocco Bernadina combined for 5 1/3 scoreless frames, allowing only four hits and keeping the Golden Flashes within striking distance at 1-0. Bernadina was particularly effective with two perfect innings.

The Golden Flashes showed a final spark in the bottom of the eighth after Pittsburgh’s big inning, as Kolton Schaller hit a three-run homer off Panthers reliever Daniel McAuliff to account for Kent State’s final runs. Andrew Luczak pitched a perfect ninth to seal the win for Pittsburgh.

Fenderson led the Panthers’ 13-hit attack, going 4 for 6 with two RBIs. Cooke’s lone hit was the decisive grand slam, accounting for four RBIs. For Kent State, Schaller drove in three runs with his home run, while Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe and Sawyer Solitaria each had two hits.

The victory improved Pittsburgh’s record to 16-6, while Kent State, which entered the game with an 18-4 mark and was projected as a slight favorite by Interstat’s game simulator and ELO rating system, fell to 18-5.

Pittsburgh opens Atlantic Coast Conference play on the road this weekend with a three-game series at Louisville. Kent State begins Mid-American Conference action at home Friday against Miami (Ohio).