PITTSBURG -- Hayden Dyer and Austin Warkins smacked back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the third inning to help propel the Pittsburg State University baseball team to a 6-1 victory over Rogers State University Saturday (May 4) at Al Ortolani Field.

The win gives the Gorillas (34-16) a 2-0 series sweep of the Hillcats in the best two of three 2024 MIAA Baseball Championship quarterfinal series. Pitt State will advance to the tournament semifinals next week, which will be held in Pittsburg May 9-11. RSU ends its season with a 24-25 record.

Dyer's two-out, two-run homer in the third broke a 1-1 tie. Warkins shot two pitches later staked the Gorillas to a 4-1 lead. Nixon Brannan added a two-home home run in the fifth for the game's final five-run margin.

Pitt State starter Gage Singer limited the Hillcats to one run on five hits over 4.0 innings of work. Singer, who registered six strikeouts, exited the contest after throwing 75 pitches. Christian Spitz (3-1) followed with 4.0 hitless innings of relief to earn the victory. He fanned five batters. Cole Askew tossed a clean ninth inning to seal the victory.

Brannan and Warkins had two hits apiece in the contest.