It’s been an historic season for Gorillas baseball as they shot off to the best start in program history, but things haven’t gone to plan this past weekend. Pitt State started the week off strong with a win over Missouri Southern on Wednesday, but fell in three tight games against Northwest Missouri, including two games which went into extra innings.
Things remained close in the Gorillas 12-6 win until the fourth inning, when Pitt State exploded for five runs to take a dominant 10-3 lead halfway through the game. The Lions would tack on a few more runs towards the end of the game to cut the lead, but Pitt State easily came away with the win.
Outfielders junior Eric Bacon and senior Dagen Brewer combined for three home runs and nine RBI. Senior Grant Nottlemann smacked a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, while senior Andrew Branson added a run-scoring infield single in the eighth for the game’s final run. Redshirt junior Cason Long picked up his second win of the year on the mound, allowing one run in 2.0 innings of relief work.
Friday saw Pitt State travel to play the Northwest Missouri Bearcats for the first game of a tripleheader. The Gorillas fell after a knockoff home run, putting the Bearcats up 11-9 in the tenth inning. The Gorillas were tied at five apiece in the fourth inning but fell behind 8-9 in the ninth inning. The Gorillas were able to make the game tied in the ninth but ultimately fell short.
Senior Cooper Wesslund knocked a three-run homer in the eighth to bring the Gorillas back to striking distance, while redshirt senior Isaac Webb hit the solo home run in the ninth to tie it.
Saturday’s game was quite the opposite, as the Bearcats took a 2-1 win over Pitt State. Northwest Missouri took the lead early in the second inning with a single run and held onto it for the majority of the game. Pitt State tied the game at the top of the eighth, but the Bearcats scored again in the bottom of the inning to take back the lead and hold on for the win. Branson doubled down the leftfield line to score junior Landin Midgett in the top of the eighth inning to knot the score at 1-1. Pitt State starter graduate student Zach Voss pitched into the eighth inning.
Things looked great for Pitt State at the beginning of game three on Sunday, as they scored six runs in the second inning to take a large lead. The Gorillas would score one more run in the seventh inning, leading 7-5, but the Bearcats scored three in the eighth to take the lead. Pitt State scored a tying run in the top of the ninth inning, but the Bearcats would single home a runner in the 11th inning to take the win. Bacon, Webb, Wesslund, junior Seth Dandridge and Branson all had two hits in the contest. Webb and Dandridge had two RBI apiece, while Bacon scored two runs.