Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box | Season Stats (html format)

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The Pitt State softball team scored 21 runs on the way to a doubleheader sweep over rival Missouri Southern on Wednesday (April 9) night.The Gorillas won game one, 10-9, and the second, 11-7. With the wins the Gorillas take the Sonic Trophy Series point for softball.

In game one, Missouri Southern outhit the Gorillas 15-12, but the Gorillas also used to Missouri Southern errors to help with the win. In game two, each team tallied 12 hits. The Lions committed two errors, while the Gorillas had four. Pitt State hit four home runs in the two games, two by Kylie Guthier and one each from Tiffany Brown and McKenzie Rynard. The Gorillas have now hit 55 home runs on the season, just five from setting a new school record for home runs in a season.

Six Gorillas had hits in the first game, with five earning two or more hits. McKenzie Rynard led the group with a 3-for-4 performance. She had a home run, two runs and two RBI. Nicole Nease, Kylie Guthier and Jordan Bradshaw were each 2-for-3 with a run scored. Nease had a double and two RBI. Guthier and Bradshaw each recorded one RBI. Tiffany Brown also had two hits in a 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs. Brenna George added the final hit for the Gorillas with a double, a run and two RBI. Kylie Harpst did not get a hit, but she walked twice and scored a run. Cheslyn Mitchell also scored a run.

Harpst earned the game one win. She pitched 6.0 innings, giving up 11 hits and seven runs, only two of which were earned. She struck out six batters and walked two. Her record improves to 7-6 on the season. Haleigh Sill pitched the final inning to earn her first save of the season.

In game two, Guthier, Brown and Rynard paced the Gorillas with 2-for-4 performances. Guthier tallied a team-leading five RBI on her two home runs. Brown's two hits were a home run and a double. She had two RBI and scored three runs. She also stole a base. Rynard scored two runs. Mitchell was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. George, Bradshaw, Nease and Avery Beard each also added hits for the home team. Beard's hit, a double, was her first of the season. Sam Grove also earned an RB with a sacrifice fly.

Sam Grove pitched the complete game in the win for the Gorillas. Five of the seven runs she gave up were earned. She walked two batters and struck out four. Her record improves to 10-9 on the season.

In both games, the Gorillas had a chance to end the game by run rule, but the Lions came up with big hits to end that chance and force the game to go the full seven innings.

Pitt State started the first game with six runs in the season inning. The team hit through the line up before the Lions recorded three outs.

The Lions narrowed the Gorilla lead with two runs in the third, but Pitt State stretched it back to seven runs with three runs on two hits and an error in the fourth.

A Shelby Romines grand slam in the sixth and another run brought the Lions within two at 9-7.

Pitt State scored its final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth as Brown scored on a Guthier base hit to left center.

Four consecutive one-out base hits in the top of the seventh led to two more runs and brought the Lions within one, 10-9, but the Gorillas were able to retire the final two batters for the win.

Missouri Southern scored first in the top of the first in game two, but Pitt State immediately answered

with four runs on four hits, three walks and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning.

The team added four more runs, including Brown's 22nd home run of the season and another home run by Guthier in the second.

The team went up by eight runs, 9-1, as Tiffany Brown scored on a wild pitch in the third.

Missouri Southern prevented the run rule as Dawn Grass hit a three-run home run in the top of the fifth.

The Lions added two more runs on two hits and three Gorilla errors in the sixth to make the score 9-6.

Pitt State responded in its half of the sixth as Nease led off with a walk and Guthier hit her second home run of the game to score them both.

Missouri Southern used the short game a bit in the final inning and was able to bring one run in, But Grove and the Gorilla defense hung tough for the 11-7 win.

The Gorillas have two more MIAA doubleheaders this weekend. The team will face Nebraska-Kearney at 4 and 6 p.m. on Friday and Fort Hays State at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday.