BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- The Pittsburg State softball team opened the 2015 season with a split in its first day of the 8-State Classic at Bentonville Memorial Park on Friday (Feb. 13). The Gorillas put up 10 hits, including three home runs, on the way to an 8-0 six-inning shutout of Minnesota State Mankato in the first game of the year. The team fell, 4-3, to Northwestern Oklahoma State in the second game.
The Gorillas scored its eight runs on 10 hits and two Maverick errors in game one. MSU had only two hits and the Gorillas committed one error.
In game two, Pitt State out hit the Rangers, 7-4. Each team had two errors, but some mistakes led to NWOSU scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
Kylie Guthier led the Gorilla offense with a 4-for-6 performance on the day, including home runs in back-to-back at bats in game one and foru RBI. McKenzie Rynard was 3-for-5 with four runs scored, a double and a home run. Cheslyn Mitchell was 4-for-8 with three runs scored.
Pittsburg State opened the day's scoring in the bottom of the second against MSU-Mankato. Rynard led off the inning with a walk. Shse moved to second on a Guthier sacrifice bunt and to third on a Nicole Nease base hit to left center, the first Gorilla hit of the season. Devon McCreath got the first RBI of the season for the Gorillas with a base hit to center to score Rynard from third.
With two outs in the third, Mitchell knocked a base hit up the middle. Rynard followed with her second walk in as many innings. Guthier hit the first home run of the season, a three-run shot just inside the left foul pole to give the Gorillas a 4-0 lead.
Rynard and Guthier started the fifth inning with back-to-back solo home runs.
Ashton Pratt grabbed her first hit as a Gorilla with one out in the bottom of the sixth. She stole second and third, the scored on a throwing error by the Maverick catcher. After a second out, Mitchell added another base hit up the middle. She moved to third on a Rynard double, then scored the game ending run on a wild pitch as MSU was trying to intentionally walk Guthier.
Emmie Robertson picked up the win. She pitched the complete 6 inning shutout, striking out six and giving up only two hits. She did not give up a hit until the fifth innings, but walked two and hit one batter.
The Gorillas scored again early in game two. In the top of the second with two outs, McCreath was hit by a pitch. She advanced to third on two wild pitches and scored on a Pratt RBI single.
Mitchell, Rynard and Guthier opened the third with three consecutive base hits to load the bases. Nicole Nease used a sacrifice fly to score Mitchell. With two outs, McCreath added another RBI base hit to score Rynard for a 3-0 lead.
Northwestern Oklahoma answered in the bottom of the third, as they plated three runs on four hits to tie the game at 3-3.
The Gorillas made a pitching change to start the fourth. Both teams were able to get runners on, but neither could push another across until the bottom of the seventh. The Rangers drew back-to-back walks to lead off the inning. After one out, a fielder's choice found all runners safe and the bases loaded. The final run suck around a Pitt State tag after a passed ball on a strikeout, ending the game in a 4-3 Gorilla loss.
Zoe Price started the game in the circle for the Gorillas. She pitched three innings, giving up three runs on four hits. Robertson replaced Price in the fourth. She did allow a hit, walked two and gave up the final unearned run to take the loss.
Pitt State will play Arkansas-Monticello at 1 p.m. at Bentonville High School and Southern Nazarene back at Memorial Park at 5 p.m. Tournament officials have determined to cancel all of Sunday's games due to anticipated poor weather conditions.
