Curtis Meyer reporter
After a short and disappointing end to the Gorilla’s season last year, Pitt State has played like a team on a mission to start out this season. Off to a 9-3 start, Pitt State has scored eight runs or more in 7 of those 12 games.
The first game of the season didn’t quite go as smooth, as Pitt State lost 5-17 against Oklahoma Baptist University. The Gorillas were up 3-1 in the second but allowed six runs in the third. Despite the rocky start, Pitt State bounced back quickly, posting a 9-2 win over East Central University the following day.
It was the Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo game, as the grad student from Hawaii hit two homers and batted in five runs for the Gorillas. Junior pitcher Carson Long allowed just one run on four hits in 5 innings.
The good play continued the next day, as they faced New Mexico Highlands University. Winning 11-2, juniors Karson Coffee and Josh Homes each knocked a pair of home runs, while junior right hander Tanner Leslie kept the opposing team to two runs and five hits in five innings of play.
The Gorillas ended the tournament on a high note, defeating East Central again, this time with a score of 14-5. Finishing the UCO First Pitch tournament with a 3-1 record, the Gorillas combined for 15 hits in the win.
Pitt State then traveled back home, hosting the Regis Rangers in a four game homestand. It started out much like their previous swath of games, as they lost 4-5 in their home opener. The Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead and never gave it up, as Pitt State put up two runs in the bottom of the eighth but were unable to tie it.
Pitt State found their groove again the following day, winning 8-0 and 2-1 against Regis. Leslie, junior Gage Singer, and Freshmen Ryker Curry combined for the shutout, while Kurashi-Choy Foo, junior Hayden Dyer, and junior Austin Warkins each picked up three hits.
Grad student Alex Kafka pitched the second game, allowing just one run and two hits in five innings of work. The game was only scheduled for seven innings, but the Gorillas took the win in the bottom of the eighth, after Dyer got a bases loaded walk to get the go ahead run and win the game.
The fourth and final game of the series was a close one, as the Gorillas came out on top with a 1-0 win. Senior Cade Clemons hit the only run of the game in the bottom of the first, as junior starter Brett Wiemers combined with Boston Dowd, Cole Askew, and Andrew Wisner to take the victory.
Following that win, Pitt State traveled to Arkansas Tech to face the Wonder Boys. It was a close 5-5 game after the fifth, but the Wonder Boys broke it open with 2 runs in the sixth and eight innings, as they cruised to a 10-6 win.
The Gorillas rebounded quickly, as they faced the last of their non-conference opponents, hosting Southern Baptist University this past weekend. The first game Pitt State took by a 11-1 margin, breaking it open in the bottom of the sixth with five runs. Leslie started for Pitt State, allowing one run and three hits in six innings.
Pitt State then had an offensive explosion in the first of a Sunday doubleheader, scoring 15 runs in one inning as they beat the Bearcats 25-3. Coffee led the charge with three home runs and 12 RBI in what was a dominant game.
The second double header was a similar story, as Pitt State won 15-0 and swept the Bearcats. Junior Brady Pacha picked up his first win of the season, as he pitched one hit in five innings. Clemons was good for two home runs in the win.
Pitt State will prepare to start conference play this Friday, as they travel to face Washburn.
“You get into our conference and everybody is good, so we have to continue to clean up some things, I know our records okay, but we have to play better baseball if we want to be good down the stretch,” said head coach Bob Fornelli.
“Conference is just another game. You just go out there, throw strikes, give the defense a chance, and let the offense go. The big thing is just taking it day by day,” said Leslie.