Curtis Meyer reporter
It was a disappointing start to MIAA conference play for the Gorillas, as they lost 2 of 3 against Washburn on the road. Having started 9-3, the Gorillas will look to put this weekend behind them quickly.
Facing Washburn on the road, Pitt State was able to start on the right foot, defeating Washburn 8-6 in the first matchup. It took a couple of timely offensive plays, as Pitt State could not keep the lead. Pitt State got on the board right away, scoring three runs in the first inning.
This did not last long, as the Ichabods came back to take a 4-3 lead over the Gorillas. Things looked down, but another three-run inning in the fifth gave the Gorillas the lead back for good. The Gorillas tacked on two more runs in the eighth to give them some insurance late.
Graduate student Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo and senior Daegan Brady were each good for a pair of home runs, each producing two RBI in the contest. Junior Karson Coffee, coming off of being crowned as NCAA Division II hitter of the week, went 2 for 4 at the plate, with a double, two runs scored in, and two RBI in the contest. Senior Jake Grauberger was also good for a couple of RBIs.
The Gorillas had to dig deep in their bullpen to come away with the win, as freshman Landon Reith got the final out of the fourth inning and took the win. Junior Cadyn Castellanos, junior Gage Singer, and junior Cole Askew allowed one run and four hits over four innings, coming in to relieve junior starter Tanner Leslie. Junior Andrew Wisner got the final three outs, with two strikeouts, to mark his second save of the season.
The success would not continue the next day for Pitt State, as they fell to the Ichabods 8-4. Pitt State fell behind 2-1 early in the game and Washburn did not let up, scoring four runs in the fourth inning to break the game open in their favor. The Gorillas scored a pair of runs in the ninth but could not pull off the miracle late.
Payton McHarg of the Ichabods homered a grand slam off senior reliever Christian Spitz, as he followed graduate student Alex Kafkaas, who had allowed four runs and five hits in 3.2 innings of work. Junior Austin Warkins was good for an RBI double and a run scoring grounder for Pitt State, while junior Blake Mozley scored two runs off two hits.
The final game was the biggest disappointment for the Gorillas, as they blew a 9-1 lead in the eighth inning. Despite Pitt State homering seven times in the contest, their relievers could not hold off the Ichabods, as they would rally late to win 10-9.
“We had I think five runs in one inning, which is crazy, but we couldn’t keep scoring when it came down to it late. We got nine runs and couldn’t keep scoring, the way it turned out was pretty bad, but we just didn’t do our job,” Coffee said.
Senior Nixon Brannan would homer twice, while Grauberger was good for a pair of solo home runs. Junior Brady Pacha started on the mound for Pitt State, allowing just one run and six hits in five innings, to go along with six strikeouts.
Pitt State will prepare for their home conference play debut next week, when they will face Northwest Missouri State.
“We’re just going to practice our tails off this week, prepare for Northwestern Missouri, stay confident in ourselves. We’ve worked out tails off through the fall, just keep doing what we know how to do and keep trusting ourselves,” Coffee said.