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MONTICELLO, Ark. -- The Pittsburg State softball team kept their record even at 3-3 with a doubleheader split at Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday (March 2) afternoon. In their first time out in almost two weeks, the Gorillas lost game one 5-4 in eight innings, but took game two, 7-3.

In game one, Pitt State scored four runs on nine hits with 12 runners left on base. Five of the Gorillas' nine hits came in the seventh inning. The Cotton Blossoms scored five runs on 12 hits with 11 runners left on. 

UAM scored first in the bottom of the third. The lead off, Maggie Sands reached base on balls. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and score on a double to right center. Pitt State then brought in reliever Samantha Grove for starter Kylie Harpst. 

In the sixth three hits and three walks brought in three runs to give Arkansas-Monticello the 4-0 lead.

Pitt State would tie the game in the top of the seventh. With one out, Cheslyn Mitchell started a rally with a base hit up the middle, her first hit of the day. Tiffany Brown's first hit of the day was a two-run home run to left center. Kreslee Ketcham followed immediately with a second home run to bring the Gorillas within one, 4-3. After a second out, Katelyn Birchfield kept the Gorillas alive with a base hit through the left side. Riley Campbell reached on a fielding error and pinch hitter Molly Stiens drove a RBI base hit to right center to score Birchfield for the tie.

Pitt State's defense held UAM in the seventh as Grove allowed one hit, but forced three groundouts to send the game to extra innings. Unfortunately, the Gorilla offensive couldn't find its seventh inning groove, leaving the game tied going into the bottom of the eighth.

A base hit, a sacrifice bunt, a second base hit and an RBI ground out allowed the winning run to score for UAM in the bottom of the eighth.

Grove took the loss for Pitt State to move to 0-2 on the season. Randa Perry earned the win for the Weevils to improve to 7-4 on the season. 

The Pitt State offense clicked in the second game, as the Gorillas put up seven runs on 14 hits with 10 runners left on. UAM scored three runs on six hits with seven runners left. Each team had two errors in the game.

Pitt State had three players with three hits a piece, Brenna George (3-for-5, one run, one RBI), Brown (3-for-4, one run, two RBI) and Stiens (3-for-4, two runs). Brichfield was 2-for-4 with a run scored. 

Both teams were scoreless until the third inning, when the Gorillas were able to put up three runs. Stiens and George started the inning with back-to-back base hits. Both advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Jordan Bradshaw. A base hit by Mitchell scored Stiens and an error on the play also allowed George home. Brown moved Mitchell to third with a base hit up the middle. A double steal in a first and third situation brought Mitchell home for the  3-0 lead.

Kayla Sears got the Gorillas going in the top of the fourth with a base hit up the middle. Stiens added a one-out double. Sears came home on a RBI base hit through the left side by George. George stole second and Mitchell drew a two-out walk. Brown knocked a base hit up the middle to score Stiens and put Pitt State in the lead, 5-0.

The Blossoms answered with two runs on a walk and two hits to cut the Gorilla lead back to three, 5-2.

Birchfield led off the fifth with a base hit. Back-to-back two-out base hits by Stiens and George moved her two third and she crossed the plate on a wild pitch for a 6-2 lead.

The Gorillas final run came on a Tiffany Brown leadoff home run in the top of the sixth. The homer was her second of the day and third of the season. 

UAM scored a run on a hit and an error in the bottom of the seventh for the final 7-3 score.

Haleigh Sills improved to 2-1 on the year with the win in the circle. She gave up six hits and three walks. Only two of the three runs given up in the game were earned. She struck out two UAM batters. Katie Slaughter took the loss for UAM to move to 6-2 on the year.

The two teams will face off again on Sunday (March 3) in a double header that begins at noon.