The win was the first for the Cowboys in Pittsburgh and their sixth of the season.
"A shutout is always a good thing, meaning all 10 wrestlers competed hard," coach John Smith said. "We had several matches that produced a good first period for our guys. At times, we got scored on in the first period but we closed it out. It really felt like with each period we got stronger."
The Panthers came out strong in four matches, opening scoring with takedowns, but the Cowboys finished even stronger to help the Pokes to a shutout.
Fifth-ranked Eddie Klimara started the Cowboys off with a major decision victory of LJ Bentley at 125 pounds. The Cowboy scored nine points in the first period, surrendering none. In the second and third periods, he accumulated six more points for a 15-3 win.
At 133 pounds, Gary Wayne Harding put on an exciting performance, defeating 16th-ranked Dom Forys. The Panther struck with three takedowns in the first period, but Harding evened the bout by the end of the period with two escapes, a reversal and nearfall points. Harding tallied another reversal and rode out Forys in the second period. He takedown in the third and riding time advantage pushed the match to sudden victory where Harding got the takedown and the 13-11 win.
"The match was a hard fought battle," Harding said. "I knew I had to stay focused and grind out every position I could. It went to overtime and I had to find a way to win."
Dean Heil picked up his fifth win of the season over a top-10 opponent as he defeated No. 5 Mike Racciato with a decisive 7-2 win at 141 pounds. Racciato put the first points on the board, but they were the only points Heil allowed for the remainder of the match as he put up seven unanswered points to earn his 17th win of the year.
"Despite the dual being at Pitt, it was sort of a home dual for me," Heil said. "With so many supporters and especially my family being there it was my match to win. I started out slow, but after giving up that first take down I shut him down. Overall, it was a solid match. I picked him apart but still felt like I could've extended the score on him."
Anthony Collica earned five takedowns in his match against Nick Zanetta at 149 pounds. Although Zanetta was the first to tally a takedown, Collica led 3-2 after the first period and earned three takedowns in the second period. In the final two minutes, he notched his fifth takedown and went on to win it, 13-5.
No. 7 Joe Smith capped off his first weekend of varsity competition with two wins, including his 11-4 win over Ronnie Garbinsky on Sunday. Garbinsky picked up the opening takedown, but the bout was tied 3-3 after the first. Smith also picked up a reversal and nearfall points for the win.
"It was a great experience winning my first two matches, but it also showed me what I need to work on to really compete at this level," Joe Smith said. "I now know the mat strategies that I have to have for a one-hour weigh-ins and what it takes to really prepare."
At 165 pounds, Dieringer spent only 24 seconds on the mat as he pinned Cody Weircoich for his seventh fall of the season. Dieringer is now on a 66-match win streak, putting him at fourth all-time as he surpassed Alan Fried's 65-match streak.
Kyle Crutchmer notched a major decision for the Pokes, defeating TeShaun Campbell, 12-2. Crutchmer picked up a flurry of points, including a first period takedown and a four-point nearfall in the second. He added two more takedowns and an escape in the third to pick up four more team points.
Nolan Boyd topped Zach Bruce in a match that saw a lot of action from the two, but Boyd gave up only one point to the Panther. After a scoreless first period, Boyd earned a reversal and rode out Bruce for the remainder of the period. In the third period, Boyd was awarded a stalling point in the third to wrap up a 4-1 win.
Six of the 10 points scored at 197 pounds were penalty points as Andrew Marsden made his debut in a bizarre match against Nick Bonacorsi. Marsden scored an escape and a riding time point to push the match into overtime, where the Cowboy got the takedown for his first career dual victory.
No. 5 Austin Marsden finished off the dual with a solid win over No. 20 Ryan Solomon. Like his brother, the senior picked up a takedown, an escape and a riding time, giving him a 4-2 win.
The Cowboys return to Gallagher-Iba Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. to take on No. 4 Missouri, who holds a 36-dual win streak.
Results:
125: No. 5 Eddie Klimara (OSU) MD LJ Bentley (PITT), 15-3
133: Gary Wayne Harding (OSU) dec. No. 16 Dom Forys (PITT), 13-11 SV1
141: No. 1 Dean Heil (OSU) dec. No. 5 Mike Racciato (PITT), 7-2
149: No. 16 Anthony Collica (OSU) MD Nick Zanetta (PITT), 13-5
157: No. 7 Joe Smith (OSU) dec. Ronnie Garbinsky (PITT), 11-4
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) fall Cody Wiercioch (PITT), 0:24
174: No. 3 Kyle Crutchmer (OSU) MD TeShaun Campbell (PITT), 12-2
184: No. 19 Nolan Boyd (OSU) dec. Zach Bruce (PITT), 4-1
197: Andrew Marsden (OSU) dec. Nick Bonaccorsi (PITT), 6-4 SV1
285: No. 5 Andrew Marsden (OSU) dec. No. 20 Ryan Solomon (PITT), 4-2
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