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TOPEKA, Kan. -- It took 17 innings for Pittsburg State and Washburn to split a doubleheader on Saturday (April 6) afternoon. Washburn won the first game, 8-6, in nine innings, while Pitt State took game two 15-14 in eight innings.
There were 46 total hits in the doubleheader (17 in game one, 29 in game two). Each team had 23 total hits in the game. Katelyn Birchfield, Catie Cummins and Jordan Bradshaw each had four total hits on the day for the Gorillas. Birchfield had seven RBI in game two, tied for the second-most RBI in a single game in school history.
The Gorillas are still even at 18-18 on the season and are 6-10 in MIAA play. The Lady Blues are 9-21 overall and 5-10 in league play.
Pitt State scored first in the top of the fourth of game one. After three innings of scoreless play with only one hit between the two teams, the Gorillas rallied. Catie Cummins led off the inning with a base hit. With two outs, Sam Grove added another base hit. McKenzie Rynard loaded the bases as she reached on a Washburn error. Birchfield stepped up to the plate and knocked a two-RBI single to left center to score Cummins and Grove for the 2-0 Pitt State lead.
Washburn scored a run on two hits in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Gorilla lead in half.
The Lady Blues added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth, this time on a two run home run by Amanda Kirkhart.
Pitt State took the lead back in the top of the seventh. With one out, Katelyn Birchfield was hit by a pitch. Jordan Bardshaw added a base hit. Devon McCreath struck out, but a wild pitch allowed both Pitt State runners to move into scoring position. Brenna George added an infield base hit to load the bases. Cummins reached on an error that allowed Birchfield to score from third. Kreslee Ketcham followed with a two RBI base hit to right center to give the Gorillas the 5-4 lift.
Alex Zordel hit a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game once again and send the game into extra innings.
Bradshaw hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth to put Pitt State up 6-5.
A lead off walk in the bottom of the ninth put the tying run on base. A hit with one out, put two runners on. Washburn pitcher Lauren Thimmesch helped her own cause with a three-run walk off home run to give Washburn the 8-6 lead.
Haleigh Sills pitched the final 0.2 innings for the Gorillas to take the loss. She is now 4-5 on the year.
Pitt State got a better start offensively to game two. George beat out an infield single and advanced to second on a Washburn error. With one out, Ketcham knocked a base hit to right field. A Tiffany Brown base hit scored George for a 1-0 Gorilla lead. McKenzie Rynard added another base hit to load the bases. Katelyn Birchfield blasted a grand slam to left center for a 5-0 Pitt State lead.
The large lead was short lived, however, as Washburn scored four runs off four hits, including a home run, in the bottom of the first.
A second Washburn home run in the bottom of the second tied the game at 5-5.
Washburn took a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the third as they loaded the bases on three straight base hits and a Gorilla fielding error allowed the go ahead run to score.
Pitt State took the lead back in the top of the forth. George drew a lead off walk. Cummins hit a two-run home run to left to put the Gorillas up 7-6. Ketcham walked. With one out, Rynard hit a base hit through the right side. Birchfield stepped up to the plate and hit her second home run of the game, this time a three-run shot for a 10-6 lead.
The Lady Blues came within one with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Shelby Erickson hit her second home run of the game to make the score 10-7 to lead off the inning. Two more hits and two Pitt State errors allowed to runs to come in, making the score 10-9 in favor of the Gorillas.
The Gorillas pushed further ahead in the top of the sixth. Birchfield led off with a double. Kylie Harpst was hit by a pitch. Bradshaw added a base hit to load the bases. Avery Beard drew an RBI walk as Birchfield scored. Thimmesch, the pitcher from game one came in the circle for Washburn. A RBI ground out from Riley Campbell allowed Harpst to score. A Thimmesch wild pitch brought home Bradshaw. Ketcham reached on a fielder’s choice the put out Cummins at second, but allowed Beard to score from third and put Pitt State in the lead 14-9.
Washburn came back in the bottom of the seventh as it scored five runs on three hits, including a grand slam by Alex Zordel to tie the game at 14-14.
A Rynard sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the top of the eight put Pitt State up 15-14. The Gorillas were able to hold Washburn in the bottom of the inning for the win.
Sam Grove pitched the final 1.1 innings to earn the win and improve her record to 4-3 on the year.
Pitt State will not play a midweek game next week, as games with Drury scheduled for April 9 have been canceled. The Gorillas will continue on the road next weekend with a Friday (April 12) doubleheader at Nebraska-Kearney beginning at 2 p.m. and a Saturday (April 13) doubleheader at Fort Hays State at 1 p.m.
