A slow start ultimately doomed the Wisconsin wrestling team in a 25-9 road loss to host Pittsburgh in a non-conference dual on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers won the first four matches to race out to a 15-0 lead.
Ryan Solomon got things rolling for Pitt as he pinned Brock Horwath in 1:29 at 285 pounds.
At 125 pounds, Johnny Jimenez looked like he was going to produce a quick answer for the Badgers. He held a 7-2 lead over Pitt’s Lorenzo Bentley heading to the third period. However, Bentley rallied to force overtime and eventually scored a 14-12 win over Jimenez in sudden victory.
Then came, what was supposed to be, Ryan Taylor’s triumphant return to the Wisconsin lineup. But Dom Forys had other plans, scoring a 10-6 win over Taylor to keep the Panthers rolling.
Taylor, who has been working his way back from an injury, was ranked No.2 at 133 pounds by FloWrestling until he was scratched from the rankings this week due to inactivity.
A win from Mike Racciato at 141 put Pitt up 15-0.
That’s when Rylan Lubeck got the Badgers on the board with a 3-1 win over Robert Lee, a fellow Wisconsin native, at 149 pounds.
The Panthers pushed the lead back to 15 with a decision at 157.
Second-ranked Isaac Jordan (165) got past Cody Wiercioch 4-3 for UW’s second win of the day. With the victory, Jordan moves to 12-0 on the season.
Pitt dealt the decisive blow at 174 pounds when Te’Shan Campbell won by major decision over No.16 Ricky Robertson, 13-5.
Ryan Christensen recorded a win for the Badgers at 184 pounds. He bested Zach Bruce 2-0.
With the loss, Wisconsin falls to 1-1 on the young season, while Pitt moves to 4-1.
The Badgers open their Big Ten slate Sunday as they tangle with No.1 Penn State (4-0). That match is set to begin at noon (CT).
Pittsburgh 25, Wisconsin 9
285: No.12 Ryan Solomon (Pitt) p. Brock Horwath, 1:29
125: Lorenzo Bentley (Pitt) dec. Johnny Jimenez, 14-12 (SV 1)
133: Dom Forys (Pitt) dec. Ryan Taylor, 10-6
141: Mike Racciato (Pitt) dec. Luke Rowh, 9-4
149: Rylan Lubeck (Wis) dec. Robert Lee, 3-1
157: Ronnie Garbinsky (Pitt) dec. T.J. Ruschell, 4-2
165: No.2 Isaac Jordan (Wis) dec. Cody Wiercioch, 4-3
174: Te’Shan Campbell (Pitt) maj, dec. No.16 Ricky Robertson, 13-5
184: Ryan Christensen (Wis) dec. Zach Bruce, 2-0
197: Nick Bonaccorsi (Pitt) dec. Eric Peissig, 5-3
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
