BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- The Pittsburg State softball team finished the 8 State Classic with two wins on Saturday (Feb. 14). The Gorillas scored 23 runs on the day on the way to a 10-9 win over Arkansas-Monticello and a 13-2, five inning win over Southern Nazarene.

Sunday's games in the tournament have been canceled due to expected extreme cold temperatures and poor weather conditions.

The game against Arkansas Monticello came down to the seventh inning. Pitt State trailed 9-6 going into the final inning. Cheslyn Mitchell led off the inning with a base hit up the middle. McKenzie Rynard brought the Gorillas within two with a two-run home run. Kylie Guthier and Nicole Nease added back-to-back base hits. With one out, Catie Cummins added another base hit to load the bases. Devon McCreath tied the game with an RBI walked. Katy Remy added another RBI, her third of the game, as she was hit by a pitch to bring in the go ahead run.

The Blossoms got two runners on in the bottom half of the seventh, but pitcher Zoe Price struck out all three outs in the inning to secure the win.

Price earned her first win of the season after coming in in relief of starter Lynsey Conner with two outs in the fourth. Price gave up six hits and two runs, while striking out seven batters and walking only one. Conner went 3.2 innings. She gave up seven runs on seven hits, only three of which were earned. She struck out three and walked four.

Arkansas-Monticello got on the board first with a two-run home run by the second batter of the game.

The Gorillas answered in the top of the second. Nease led off the game with a double. Alex Perez was hit by a pitch. Both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Cummins. A sacrifice fly by McCreath scored Nease for the first Gorilla run of the day. Remy used her first collegiate hit, a triple, to score Perez for a 2-2 tie.
The Blossoms took advantage of two Gorilla errors to score three runs in their half of the second to go up 5-2.

Once again, Pitt State answered in its next at bat. Mitchell led off with a base hit and Rynard followed with a double. Nease hit her first home run of the season to left to tie the game once again, 5-5.

UAM scored one run in each the fourth and fifth innings before the Gorillas cut their lead to just one with a Remy solo home run in the top of the sixth.
Arkansas-Monticello stretched the lead again in the bottom of the sixth, putting up two runs on four hits for a 9-6 lead.

Mitchell and Nease each had three hits in the game. Nease and Remy each had three RBI. Nease also scored three runs.

The Gorillas had a much easier time of it in the second game, as they used 11 hits and three Southern Nazarene errors to score 13 runs, while giving up only two runs on three hits.

No runs were scored until the third inning. With one out, Remy got the Pitt State offense started with a base hit. Ashton Pratt reached on a fielder's choice that left Remy safe at second. An infield error scored Remy from second, moved Pratt to third and left Mitchell standing safe at second. Rynard cleared the bases with her third home run of the season.

Pitt State added two runs with two outs in the fourth inning. McCreath drew  a two-out walk. She scored and Remy got all the way to second on a outfield error. An RBI base hit to right field by Pratt scored Remy to give the Gorillas a 6-1 lead.

Pitt State scored seven more runs in the top of the fifth to bring the game into run rule range. Guthier reached on an error to lead off the inning. Nease added her second home run of the day to make the score 8-1. Perez continued the rally with her first hit of the season. Cummins added another base hit. Perez stole third, putting Gorilla runners at first and third. Cummins then stole second. Perez came home on a Remy sacrifice fly. Cummins moved to third on a wild pitch before a Pratt walk. Pratt stole third, then a base clearing single through the right side by Mitchell brought home two more runs. Rynard added another base hit before Kylie Guthier cleared the bases again with a double down the left field line to make the score 13-1.

The Gorillas needed just three outs in the final inning to end the game. Pitcher Emmie Robertson struck the first batter out before giving up a hit and two walks to load the bases. One run came in on a ground out, then Robertson caught the final batter looking to end the game with a 13-2 win.

Robertson gave up two runs on three hits in her third outing of the season, while striking out five batters.

Pitt State will play its home opener next weekend, as it hosts a tournament with Rockhurst, Northwest Missouri and Arkansas Tech. The Gorillas will face Rockhurst at noon and Arkansas Tech at 2 p.m. on both Saturday (Feb. 21) and Sunday (Feb. 22).