PITTSBURG – The Pittsburg State University softball team will continue MIAA action with a pair of home doubleheaders against the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats and Missouri Western State University Griffons.
 
Originally scheduled to begin play this week on Friday, the Gorillas and Northwest Missouri will instead begin their doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. (CDT) on Sunday (Apr. 6). Pitt State will end the week with a twinbill against Missouri Western on Monday (Apr. 7) beginning at 1:00 p.m. from the Pittsburg State Softball Field.
 
Coming off a road sweep against No. 8 Rogers State, No. 23 Pitt State is 27-9 overall and sit second in the MIAA with a 8-2 ledger in the conference. Heather Arnett leads the team with a .520 average, 66 hits, 48 runs scored, nine doubles and 29 stolen bases. Alleyna Rushing is hitting .430 with 40 hits, 33 runs scored, 16 runs driven in and 15 stolen bases. Courtney Storey this season is averaging .415 with 44 hits, nine doubles, 42 runs driven in to lead the team and seven stolen bases. Rounding out the qualified hitters batting above .300 are Ava Sarwinski (.351), Kendall Forbes (.339), Kadyn Trochim (.324) and Emily Ades (.315).
 
In the circle, Aydenne Brown (12-4, 2.68 ERA) and Ava Laurent (11-4, 3.01 ERA) are the two starters. Brown in 73.0 innings has struck out 91 batters and holds opponents to a .196 average, Laurent in 90.2 inning holds opponents to a .214 average and has struck out 96 hitters. Rounding out the staff is Chelsea Beville (1-1, 2.60 ERA, 1 SV), Jadyn Standeford (2-0, 1.81 ERA), Lexi Franklin (1-0, 1.50 ERA) and Shelby Underwood (0-0, 0.00 ERA).
 
Northwest Missouri enters the weekend with a 15-20 overall record and is 5-9 in the MIAA. The Bearcats this season on the road are 3-6 and riding a season-best three-game winning streak that began with a win over No. 6 Central Oklahoma (Mar. 28) in Maryville. Lillie Filger leads the team with a .416 average, 52 hits, 30 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. Alexis Brown is hitting .394 with 43 hits, 24 runs scored and five doubles. Omara Love the reigning MIAA Player of the Week is hitting .387 with 48 hits, 27 runs scored, 11 doubles, four triples, 27 runs driven in and 14 stolen bases. Rounding out the qualified hitters batting above .300 are Grace Lubben (.373), Gaige Pinkerton (.357), Malia Cuevas (.349) and Skylar Pieper (.327). In the circle for the Bearcats, Jadyn Streigle (5-6, 3.35 ERA) and Olivia Moyer (1-5, 4.79 ERA) are the primary starters. Streigle leads the team with 69.0 innings, 47 strikeouts and holds opponents to a .289 average.
 
Missouri Western comes into the weekend with a 20-15 overall record and stands at 7-7 in the MIAA. The Griffons are 5-5 on the road so far this season with wins over No. 8 Augustana (S.D.) (Mar. 18) and No. 11 Angelo State (Feb. 8). Mackenzie DeVine leads the Griffon with a .343 average with 36 hits, five doubles, 19 runs driven in and 22 walks drawn. Ayva McComas (.316) and Myah Dwyer (.303) are the other qualified hitters batting above .300. Sydney Young (.280) leads the team with five home runs and 23 RBI while Kalee Higdon (.250) has a team-high 28 stolen bases. In the circle for Missouri Western, Sydney Rader (15-5, 1.46 ERA) leads the team with 129.1 innings, 126 strikeouts and a .203 opponent batting average. Harley Pruetting (2-5, 3.99 ERA) and Ashlyn Finarty (3-5, 3.68 ERA) have split starting roles behind Rader this season.