PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — Paul Skenes delivered a dominant performance and the Pittsburgh Pirates’ offense erupted for five runs in the eighth inning to break open a tight game, powering past the San Diego Padres 7-1 on Tuesday night at PNC Park.

The game, played before an announced crowd of 9,061 in 2 hours and 29 minutes, was a pitcher’s duel for seven innings before the Pirates sent 10 men to the plate in the decisive eighth to secure the series split after a shutout loss the previous night.

Skenes, the Pirates’ ace, was the story for much of the evening. He earned the win to improve to 2-1, overpowering the Padres’ lineup over 6 1/3 strong innings. He allowed just two hits and one earned run while striking out six. His only blemish was a solo home run to Xander Bogaerts in the seventh inning. This outing was a sharp rebound from his last start on March 26 against the New York Mets, where he was tagged for five runs while recording only two outs.

San Diego’s Nick Pivetta matched Skenes for much of his outing but was saddled with the loss, falling to 1-2. Pivetta worked five innings, surrendering two runs on four hits while striking out eight Pirates batters. His command was evident early, as he racked up eight strikeouts through the first five frames, but a two-out rally in the fifth inning proved his undoing.

The game’s most critical sequence, and the turning point that decided the contest, occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the game scoreless, Spencer Horwitz singled and Konnor Griffin followed with another single. After a pop out, Oneil Cruz laced a ground ball double down the left field line, scoring both Horwitz and Griffin. Cruz advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Freddy Fermin, giving the Pirates a 2-0 lead that felt substantial given Skenes’ command.

San Diego halved the deficit in the top of the seventh when Bogaerts launched his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field off Skenes. Miguel Andujar followed with a single, prompting Pirates manager Derek Shelton to call upon Yohan Ramírez from the bullpen. Ramírez stranded the runner, striking out two in a scoreless inning of work to preserve the 2-1 lead.

The Pirates then put the game completely out of reach in the bottom of the eighth against the Padres’ bullpen. Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O’Hearn led off with singles. Nick Yorke then reached on a fielding error by shortstop Xander Bogaerts, loading the bases with no outs. Nick Gonzales promptly singled to right, driving in two runs. Pinch-hitter Jake Mangum followed with another run-scoring single. Konnor Griffin then delivered the crushing blow, a two-run single to left that capped the five-run outburst and stretched the lead to 7-1. Griffin finished the night 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

Gregory Soto worked a perfect ninth inning to seal the victory for Pittsburgh.

The Pirates’ offense accumulated 12 hits, while their pitching staff held the Padres to just three hits total. After Bogaerts’ homer, San Diego managed only one more baserunner, a single by Andujar immediately following the blast. Pittsburgh relievers Ramírez, Isaac Mattson and Soto combined for 2 2/3 hitless innings to close the door.

With the win, Pittsburgh improved to 7-4 on the young season, while San Diego fell to 5-6. The victory also defied the pregame projections from Interstat, whose ELO system gave the Padres a 55.6 percent probability to win. The total of eight runs combined landed under the sportsbook over/under line of 6.5.

The two teams conclude their three-game series Wednesday afternoon at PNC Park. The Padres will then head home to open a four-game set with the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. The Pirates embark on a six-game road trip following Wednesday’s finale, starting with a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.