PITTSBURG — Ryan Koval delivered a two-run triple with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to break open a 7-7 game and help the Pittsburg State University baseball team salvage a doubleheader split with an eventual 9-8 victory in the nightcap against Washburn University Monday (Mar. 15) at Al Ortolani Field.
The Ichabods (5-8, 5-4 MIAA) defeated the Gorillas (7-5, 4-5 MIAA) 13-10 in the first game Monday.
In the nightcap, Pitt State exploded for seven first-inning runs  to jump out to a 7-0 lead against Washburn. Garrett McGowan, Koval and Blain Ohlmeier all homered in the Gorillas' big frame.
The Ichabods countered with seven runs of their own in the top of the third inning. Pitt State's Nick Brown (1-0) got the Gorillas out of the third inning and worked 5.0 innings of relief to pick up the win. Brown allowed one run on three hits and fanned five batters. Tanner Lane earned the save by registering the final six outs, allowing one unearned run and recording three strikeouts.
Koval went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the contest, while Ohlmeier and Greyson Pinkett had two hits apiece. McGowan's home run in the first was a three-run shot.
In the first game, the Ichabods broke open a 5-5 game with a seven-run sixth inning. The Gorillas got two runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth but it wasn't enough to make up the deficit.
Adam Theis and Aaron Gerdes each homered in the contest for the Gorillas. Cruz Aranda went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Ohlmeier triples and drove in a pair of runs.
