MANKATO, Minn. – The Pittsburg State University baseball team picked up its second win of the NCAA Division II Central Regional in Mankato on Saturday (May 18), 11-5 against Arkansas – Monticello at ISG Field.
 
The No. 16 ranked Gorillas (41-10) got on the board first in the second inning with a bases clearing shallow single to center field from Jake Skaggs. Rickey Sanchez hit his sixth home run of the season in the fifth with Dagen Brewer collecting his 22^nd of the season later on in the inning to give Pitt State a 7-1 lead.
 
Arkansas – Monticello (33-22) answered back with two home runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning to cut the lead down to 7-4. Alex Rodgers singled home Skaggs in the sixth to move the lead up to 8-4 before a solo home run by UAM in the seventh made it a three-run game.
 
Rodgers in the eighth doubled home Skaggs before back-to-back RBI hits in the ninth inning from Kadyn Williams and Nixon Brannan provided the final score of 11-5.
 
Of the 16 hits today for Pittsburg State, seven were for extra bases:  four doubles, two home runs and a triple. Skaggs went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and three runs driven in to lead the team, while Brewer finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two driven in.
 
Kolby Dougan improved to 8-0 on the season and increased his strikeout tally to 107, passing Zac Shoemaker (2023) for second in single-season ranks at PSU. Brady Pacha pitched 3.0 innings of relief with three strikeouts, as Cooper Crouch delivered a shutout ninth inning.
 
Pitt State will play at approximately 4:00 p.m. (CDT) on Sunday (May 18) in the Mankato pod championship against the winner of the Noon matchup between host Minnesota State – Mankato and Arkansas -Monticello.