PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University baseball team dropped a 16-5 decision to the University of Central Missouri in a losers bracket elimination game of the 2024 MIAA Baseball Championship Friday (May 10) at Al Ortolani Field.

With the loss, the Gorillas (34-18) will now await the 2024 NCAA Division II Selection Show Sunday night to see if Pitt State will earn one of eight berths into the Central Regional next week. The Gorillas were ranked No. 8 in the final regional rankings of the season Wednesday (May 8),

UCM (46-7), the MIAA regular season champion and the tournament's top seed, advances to the losers bracket final later Friday against Washburn University. The winner of that game will advance to the tournament final against Missouri Southern State University Saturday (May 11) at Noon (CDT).

The Gorillas scored two runs apiece in the third and fourth innings to jump out to a 4-0 lead against the Mules Friday. Blake Mozley smacked a two-run home run in the third and Cade Clemons added a two-run double in the fourth.

UCM countered with five runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead. After Pitt State knotted the score at 5-5 in the bottom of the frame, the Mules plated two runs in the sixth and seven runs in the pivotal seventh inning to take control.

Clemons, Austin Warkins and Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo all had two hits in the contest for Pitt State.