Curtis Meyer reporter
It was an up and down week for Pitt State, as the Gorillas won two and lost two as they faced the Emporia State Hornets and the Northeastern Oklahoma State Riverhawks. The Gorillas now sit at 22-11 overall, 13-7 in conference play.
It was a tale of two games, as the Gorillas won the first two scoring double digit runs, before allowing back-to-back games with 10 runs scored against. With just a month left of regular season baseball, Pitt State will look to gain more traction as it hopes to end the season with some momentum.
The Gorillas began their week with a Tuesday night game, hosting the Hornets. The Gorillas wasted no time, scoring two runs in the first and five more in the second as they ran away with a 13-6 victory. Pitt State held a 9-0 lead before allowing the Hornets to even get on the board.
Senior catcher Nixon Brannan started the scoring with a two-run homer in the first, while junior infielder Austin Warkins followed with a three-run home run in the second. Junior outfielder Josh Holmes added a solo home run in the fourth, highlighting a potent Gorilla offense. Junior pitcher Cadyn Castellanos picked up his fifth win of the season, coming in for 3 innings of relief.
The good times continued later that weekend, hosting the first of a three-game series against the Riverhawks on Thursday evening. It was a dominant effort by Pitt State, as they scored 8 runs in the first, and 15 runs total in the first four innings. 12 different batters got to the plate in the first, as the offense took immediate control of the game.
Junior pitcher Tanner Leslie started the game for Pitt State, picking up the win in five innings of work, with two unearned runs, one walk, and five strikeouts. Senior infielder Daegen Brady went 3-4 from the plate with a home run and four RBI, while junior infielder Blake Mozley and Warkins were each good for three RBI.
The rest of the Gorillas week hit a snag, however, as Pitt State couldn’t quite hold on to a 9-7 lead, allowing the Riverhawks to tie it up in the ninth inning, before eventually losing in the tenth 10-9. After falling behind early, the Gorillas scored four runs in the top of the ninth, as it looked like they had the advantage but were unable to seal the deal.
Brannan and grad student Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo both were 3-5 to lead the Gorilla offense, while Brannan and Mozley each chipped in a home run. Mozley was good for three RBI as well. Junior pitcher Boston Down took the loss.
On Saturday, it was a similar tale, as the Gorillas took the 10-8 loss. Scoring three runs in the first inning, the Gorillas jumped out to an early lead, but allowed seven runs across the sixth and seventh innings, flipping the table on them.
Brannon and Brady each had a home run in the loss, with Brannan scoring three times and Brady good for three of the Gorillas nine hits. Castellanos came in relief for Pitt State, taking the loss after allowing four runs in 1.1 innings of work. Junior pitcher Brady Pacha started, allowing six runs, five earned, with five strikeouts.
Pitt State will look to rebound at home, hosting the Drury Panthers on a Tuesday, before going on the road to face the Central Missouri Mules.