PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The Pitt State Softball team begins to ramp up conference play this weekend with doubleheaders at Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western. With only a little over a month left in the season each game is crucial. Pitt State will play the Bearcats at 2 and 4 p.m. on Friday (March 28) and the Griffons at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday (March 29). 

Twenty of Pitt State's last 26 games are conference games.

The Gorillas are currently 15-13 overall and 2-4 in MIAA play. The team earned its two conference wins over Lincoln and its four losses were to Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State. The team is looking to end a three-game skid after loses to Augustana, Saint Cloud State and Missouri-St. Louis.

Pitt State hits .313 as a team and averages just under six runs a game. The team is led by Tiffany Brown with a .459 average and McKenzie Rynard with a .451 average. Brown leads the team in hits (39), runs scored (33), RBI (44) and home runs (16). Rynard leads the team in doubles (8) and is second in home runs (7) and RBI (28). Brenna George hits .376. She is second in hits (38) and runs scored (30) and leads the team in stolen bases with 10. 

The Pitt State pitchers have a 3.25 ERA and are allowing opponents a .292 batting average. Sam Grove leads the group with a 2.23 ERA and an 8-4 record. She has thrown 91.0 innings, has walked 36 batters and struck out 36. Haleigh Sills has a 4-4 record in 14 appearances. She has thrown 56.1 innings, fanning 36 batters and walking 21. Kylie Harpst is 3-3 on the season in eight appearances. She has thrown 30.2 innings, striking out 15 batters and walking 11.

The Bearcats are 10-16 overall and 3-7 in MIAA play. The team went 2-3 in the Missouri Western Tournament, with wins over Concordia and St. Cloud State and losses to Wayne State, Northern State and Minnesota State.   

Northwest Missouri hits .289 as a team and averages about 4.5 runs per game. The team has four players hitting .300 or better, led by Chantel Adams with a .365 average and Stephanie Mark hitting .358.

The Bearcat pitchers have a 5.03 collective ERA, giving up about 5.7 runs per game. They allow opponents a .283 average. Sarah Baldwin and Abbie Vitosh have pitched a majority of the innings, with Taylor Blackford and Paige Blythe combining for about as many innings as each of the other two. Balwin is 5-6, while Vitosh is 3-7. Baldwin leads the team with 57 strikeouts. 

Missouri Western is 19-13 overall and 4-6 in MIAA play. The team went 4-2 last weekend in its home tournament. The team won its conference series with Southwest Baptist, lost series with Emporia State and Washburn and split with Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri.

The Griffons hit .278 as a team and are led by five players hitting over .300 on the season, including team leader Tiffany Gillespy with a .337 average. The Griffons score 4.5 runs a game, but its pitchers are able to hold opponents to 2.5 runs per game. The pitching staff has a 1.94 ERA and holds opponents to a .221 batting average. Jackie Bishop leads the team with a o.91 average. She has given up only 25 runs in 131.1 innings pitched. She has struck out 149 batters while walking only 15. She is 12-6 on the season with only one save. Janie Smith adds a 7-7 reecord and a 3.53 ERA.

After this weekend, the Gorilla will play their next 18 games at home.