BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- The Pittsburg State softball team split games in the first day of the UAM Classic. The Gorillas earned a 7-3 win over Henderson State before falling to No. 11 Arkansas Tech, 5-4.

Against Henderson State, the Gorillas scored their seven runs on 11 hits and two Reddie errors. Henderson State scored three runs on seven hits and one Pitt State error. 

Pitt State scored first in the top of the third. Lawren McKinney and Kristen Van Hoosen led off with back-to-back bunt singles. Kaity Kukowski doubled down the left field line to score both runners and advanced to third on an attempt to get Van Hoosen at the plate. Kukowski then scored on a Sierra Hall ground out for a 3-0 Pitt State lead. 

Three more Gorilla runs came in the top of the fourth. Kylie Guthier walked and Kala Holder dropped a base hit in left center. Shelby Miller came in to pinch run for Guthier at second. Jenna Bolton added another base hit to load the bases. McKinney cleared the bases with a double to left center for a 6-0 lead.

Henderson State hit a home run in each the fourth and fifth innings. Also in the fifth, a walk and two base hits scored one more run to cut Pitt State's lead in half, 6-3. 

The Gorillas' final run came in the top of the sixth. With two outs, Kukowski reached on an error. Hall added a base hit. Katy Remy reached on a second error that allowed Kukowski to score. 

Emmie Robertson started the game in the circle for the Gorillas. She pitched the first four innings before being relieved by Bree Cornett in the fifth. Cornett gave up one run on one hit. Morgan Myers started the fifth inning and gave up two runs on two hits with a walk in a third of an inning. Robertson re-entered the game to pitch the final 1.2 innings. in her total 5.2 innings she gave up four hits and two walks. She struck out a season-high 12. 

The game against Arkansas Tech was a thriller. The Pitt State offense was efficient, scoring its four runs on six hits and one error. Arkansas scored five runs on 11 hits and two errors. 

Arkansas Tech scored first in the bottom of the third. The inning started with three consecutive bunt singles to load the bases. A double to center scored one run, but a sharp throw by Gorilla centerfielder Sierra Hall to Nease at home who then flipped it to third to put the runner coming from second out. Robertson sat the next two batters down on strikes to end the inning. 

Guthier led off the fourth with a base hit. Miller pinch ran for her. Kala Holder drew a walk. With an out, McKinney smacked a double up the middle to score Holder and Miller to take a 2-1 lead. 

In the top of the fifth, Hall started the Gorilla offense with a one-out double. With two outs, Guthier hit a two run home run, her third of the season, to put Pitt State up 4-1.

Arkansas Tech came back with a two-run home run of their own to make the score 4-3. 

Two Pitt State errors and a hit brought home two Golden Sun runs in the bottom of the sixth to give them the 5-4 lead.

Pitt State went down in order in the top of the seventh to end the game.

Robertson pitched all six innings for the Gorillas to take the loss and move to 4-2 on the season. Only three of the runs she gave up were earned. 

The Gorillas will play host Arkansas-Monticello at 10 a.m. on the Bentonville High School field before moving back to Memorial Park to take on Harding at 1 p.m..