Box Score 1 | Box Score 2


Upper Iowa Box | Missouri Western Box | Season Stats (html version)

JOPLIN, Mo. -- Strong hitting up and down the lineup and solid pitching performances from freshmen Kyndel Shelburn and Haleigh Sills helped the Gorillas to an 8-1 win over Upper Iowa and a 2-1 win over Missouri Western in the first day of the MSSU Border Battle.

Shelburn earned the win against Upper Iowa. She gave up only six hits in the game. She struck out six batters and did not give up a walk. She is now 3-0 on the season. Sills improved to 3-1 with the win over Missouri Western. She gave up eight hits, walks three and struck out two.

Pitt State opened the scoring in game one with three runs in the top of the third. With one out, Jordan Bradshaw walked. Cheslyn Mitchell added a base hit and Tiffany Brown brough the, both home with a three-run home run. 

Neither team scored again until the top of the fourth. Kreslee Ketcham and Katelyn Birchfield led off the inning with back-to-back base hits. An error on a attempted sacrifice bunt by Kayla Sears allowed Ketcham to score and Birchfield and Sears to advance to second and third. A Molly Stiens sacrifice fly brought home Birchfield for a 5-0 lead. Sears was thrown out advancing to third for the second out of the inning. Devon McCreath added a base hit and Brenna George reached on an error. After a pitching change, Jordan Bradshaw walked to load the bases. A wild pitch scored McCreath, putting Pitt State up by six runs. A Mitchell base hit brought in two more runs to score Pitt State's final to outs of the game.

It looked as if the Gorillas were going to be able to end the game with a run rule, as the Peacocks had two outs with a runner on second in the bottom of fifth with PItt State leading by eight runs. A long infield base hit allowed the runner at second to score for the 8-1 score.

Mitchell and Birchfield each had two hits in the game for the Gorillas. Mitchell also had two RBI. Bradshaw scored two runs. Brown had only one hit in the game, but got three RBI off that hit.

All the scoring in game two was done by the top of the second inning, though both team continued to get hits. Missouri Western outhit PItt State eight to five.

Pitt State scored first. With one out in the bottom of the first, Jordan Bradshaw was hit by a pitch. Mitchell followed with a two-run home run for the 2-0 lead.

Missouri Western scored its run on a RBI double in the top of the second.

Brown and Mitchell had all the Gorilla hits in the game. Brown went 3-for-3, while Mitchell was 2-for-2.

Pitt State will return to action on Sunday, facing MIssouri Southern at 2 p.m. and William Jewell at 4 p.m.