Another week, another three wins for the Pitt State Gorilla baseball team. It’s been a record-breaking season for two weeks now, and the Gorillas show no signs of stopping anytime soon. Pitt State’s streak was extended to 17 games this past weekend, as they went on the road to play Arkansas – Fort Smith.
“This weekend was good. We got a lot of guys that got a lot of at-bats, we scored a lot of runs, our pitchers did really well. Overall, it was a really good weekend,” head coach Brock Buckingham said.
The first game was held on Friday night and was a resounding 17-2 win for the Gorillas. The Gorillas would jump out to a 4-2 lead after the first inning, and never looked back, dominating the Lions, including a seven-run ninth inning to cement the blowout.
Senior Dagen Brewer continued his torrid hitting pace for the Gorillas. Brewer doubled twice and belted a pair of home runs, including a grand slam in Pitt State’s seven-run ninth inning that punctuated the lopsided win.
Junior Eric Bacon and senior Grant Nottlemann also hit home runs for the Gorillas. Redshirt senior Isaac Webb collected two hits and scored twice, while junior Jayden McNealy and Bacon scored three runs apiece. Senior Preston Giltner improved to 3-0 on the season.. Giltner tossed 5.0 innings and fanned six batters. Junior Bradyn McClure scattered four hits over 3.0 innings of relief work, while registering five strikeouts. Senior Cooper Crouch tossed a scoreless ninth inning to complete the pitching battery.
Pitt State would take the win Friday and improve upon it Saturday, as they cruised to a 30-3 win over the haples Lions. Webb homered and drove in five runs in the contest, while junior Landin Midgett collected three hits with a home run and four RBI. Brewer continued his hitting streak with a 3-for-3 day at the plate. Brewer homered, scored four runs and drove in three more runs. Graduate student Zach Voss improved to 5-0 on the season. He limited the Lions to two hits through 4.0 innings pitched. Redshirt junior Bradley Neill, junior Ethan Froud, and junior Cross Dowd pitched behind Voss.
The Sunday afternoon game went the same as the rest, with Pitt State winning 16-3. The Gorillas amassed a 12-1 lead after the first three innings, holding control of the game for its duration. Webb went 3-for-5 at the plate with a double and five RBI on the afternoon. Midgett homered for a second straight game and drove in four runs. Brewer extended his MIAA record consecutive games hitting streak to 37 games with a second-inning single. He went 1-for-2, was intentionally walked twice and scored three runs.
Redshirt sophomore Elijah Seitz earned the win in relief for the Gorillas. He limited UAFS to one hit over 2.0 innings of work and registered two strikeouts. Redshirt junior Ty Blecha made his first start of the season. He allowed one run and four hits over 3.0 innings of work. Redshirt junior Cason Long tossed the final two innings for Pitt State, allowing two runs and fanning four batters.
“It gives us confidence, but we still try to stay humble. We know it’s a long season, we know the MIAA is really tough, so we’re just preaching one game at a time, one day at a time, and sticking to it,” oach Brockingham said.