JOPLIN, Mo. — The Pittsburg State University baseball team scored a pair of one-run victories in elimination games Friday (May 21) to advance to the finals of the 2021 MIAA Baseball Championship presented by Mammoth Construction. The Gorillas will meet top seeded University of Central Missouri in the first championship game Saturday (May 22) at Noon (CDT).

The Gorillas (30-15) trailed 6-2 going to the eighth inning of their losers' bracket semifinal match-up against Rogers State University before plating five runs to pull ahead and win, 7-6. Pitt State trailed 1-0 in the losers' bracket final against the University of Central Oklahoma but pushed in front with two runs in the bottom of the fifth against the Bronchos en route to a 2-1 victory.

Peyton Ingalls (7-1) tossed a complete-game gem against UCO, limiting the Bronchos to one run and three hits. He issued one walk and fanned eight batters while firing 113 pitches in the contest.

Greyson Pinkett singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch for the Gorillas first run of the game. Ryan Koval singled home Mason Hartman, who reached on a fielder's choice, with the go-ahead run later in the frame.

Against RSU, Garrett McGowan and Dawson Pomeroy belted back-to-back home runs on consecutive pitches to spark Pitt State's five-run eighth inning. Cruz Aranda later delivered a two-run double to knot the score at 6-6 and Aranda scored the go-ahead run from second base when Aaron Gerdes reached base on a fielding error by RSU second baseman Marvin Harvey.

Pomeroy (3-0) worked 3.0 innings of hitless relief to earn the victory. He registered five strikeouts in the contest.

UCM (38-6) advanced to the championship game with an 11-7 victory over UCO in Friday's first game of the day. The Mules opened the three-day tournament with a 9-5 victory over Pitt State Thursday.