WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Drew Davis belted a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the ninth inning and the Missouri Soutnern State University baseball team added three more insurance runs in the frame to take a 6-2 victory over Pittsburg State University Friday (May 12) at Tompkins Field at Crane Stadium.
The Lions (41-14) advance to the 2023 MIAA Baseball Championship losers bracket final Saturday, while Pitt State (33-20) bows out of the tournament with an 0-2 record. The Gorillas, seventh in the mist recent NCAA Division II Central Regional rankings, will not wait for Sunday's postseason field announcement, to see if their season continues.
Tanner Leslie (4-4) worked 6.2 innings of relief behind starter Ben Des Rosiers against MSSU. Leslie scattered seven hits and allowed two runs while registering two strikeouts.
Nixon Brannon led the Gorillas at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double. Austin Warkins had a pair of hits, including a double, in the contest. Connor Laux had an RBI walk in the game.