PITTSBURG — Tanner Lane pitched four-plus shutout innings of relief to protect a lead and help propel the Pittsburg State University baseball team to an 8-5 victory over Washburn University Saturday (May 15) at Al Ortolani Field. The victory by the Gorillas sends their best of three series with the Ichabods in the 2021 MIAA Baseball Championship to a deciding game three Sunday.

Lane (3-1) entered the game in the top of the fifth inning to protect a 6-5 Pitt State lead. He scattered four hits and registered three strikeouts over 4.0 innings of work, exiting the contest after allowing a leadoff single in the top of the ninth. Dawson Pomeroy fanned the next two batters and retired the WU side in the ninth for his sixth save of the season.

Garrett McGowan belted a two-run home run in the home half of the sixth inning for the Gorillas. Caleb Carr added a two-run single in the bottom of the first inning as Pitt State plated three unearned runs following an Ichabods error. Carr and Blain Ohlmeier added run scoring singles in the third inning as well.

Aaron Gerdes went 3-for-5 and scored a pair of runs in the contest. Carr, Ohlmeier and Greyson Pinkett all had two hits apiece for the Gorillas.

Sunday's game time has been moved up an hour to Noon (CDT) from the originally scheduled 1 p.m. start.