PITTSBURG - The Pittsburg State University softball team kept its season alive with a pair of victories on Friday (May 15) against Winona State and Rogers State. Pitt State will advance to the NCAA Division II Central Regional Championship Day on Saturday (May 15) at Noon against No. 17 Central Oklahoma.
Pittsburg State (47-10) claimed the first game of the day for the Gorillas, 6-3 against WSU (48-11) and in game two 1-0 against Rogers State (37-21).
Against Winona State, the Gorillas got on the board in the first inning with a
Kadyn Trochim solo home run to cut the early Warriors lead in half (2-1).
Lexi Davis singled home
Haili Igou in the third inning to tie it up 2-2 with a Winona State run in the fifth breaking the tie.
Trista Peterson collected an RBI groundout that scored
Sailor Hall to tie it up, 3-3 in the fifth inning. In the sixth, Davis hit a three run home run to break open the game and provide the decisive 6-3 win.
Davis led the team with three hits and four runs batted in, being joined by Igou, Trochim and Hall with multiple hits in the game.
Lexi Franklin (13-3) got the win with a complete game effort, striking out four.
To end the night, Pittsburg State and Rogers State clashed in post season action for the sixth time in three seasons with meetings in the past three MIAA Championships to go with playing against each other in the last two NCAA Division II Central Regionals.
In a pitchers duel the Gorillas were able to put up nine hits and draw four walks to no strikeouts in the game. PSU, had runners in scoring positions in the first, thrid, sixth and seventh innings and never went three and out in the game.
Heather Arnett in the seventh inning drew a four pitch walk before an Igou single through the right side moved her to third base with one out. Trochim on the first pitch she saw delivered a fly ball to right field that allowed Arnett to score and progress Igou up to second base.
Lexi Davis was intentionally walked bto put runners on first and second before a flyout to center ended the inning.Â
Rogers State started off the bottom of the seventh with a walk being issued before a hit-by-pitch put runners on first and second with no outs. RSU got the first out in the inning from an illegal substitution before a popup to the shortstop in center field recorded the second out. The Hillcats got another walk to load the bases before a full count fielders choice to Arnett-Trochim at third base ended the game.
Arnett and Igou each finished with two hits as
Emma Crabb (16-4) got the win in the circle. Crabb issued three walks and worked around four hits in the game for the complete game shutout win.
Pittsburg State will need to defeat No. 17 Central Oklahoma twice tomorrow to claim the Central Regional crown for the first time in program history and advance to the NCAA Division II Central Super Regionals (May 21-22). The highest advancing seed between the winners of the Joplin and Pittsburg Pods will serve as hosts in the best 2-of-3 Super Regional.
