PITTSBURG -- The Pittsburg State University baseball team dropped a 9-5 decision to Missouri Southern State University Thursday (May 9) in opening round action of the 2024 MIAA Baseball Championship at Al Ortolani Field.

The loss sends the third-seeded Gorillas (34-17) into the losers bracket where Pitt State will face No. 1 seed University of Central Missouri in an elmination game at 3 p.m. (CDT) Friday. The Mules (45-7) dropped an 11-1 run-rule decision to fifth-seeded Washburn University Thursday.

MSSU (40-13) built a 9-0 in Thursday's match-up against Pitt State before the Gorillas scored five runs between the seventh and ninth innings to battle back into the contest.

Cole Gayman (11-2) limited Pitt State to three hits over 7.0 innings of work. He allowed a solo home run to the Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo in the seventh game. Gayman departed the contest after 96 pitches. He issued two walks and registered three strikeouts.

Nixon Brannan added a two-run double in the Pitt State eighth inning and Daegan Brady smacked a two-run home run in the ninth to account for the Gorillas runs. Brady has two of Pitt State's six hits in the game.