Gorillas drop a heartbreaker in extra innings 2-1 in the MIAA Championship

EDMOND, Ok. — Championship day for the MIAA Softball Tournament featured the top two teams in the conference. The two-seeded Pitt State Gorillas and the one-seeded Rogers State Hillcats battle for the championship title Saturday afternoon.

The Gorillas came up just short in a close one 2-1 to Rogers State in nine innings. Pitt State took MIAA Tournament runners-up and fell to 51-6 on the season.

This game was a defensive game from start to finish with the first run of the game coming in the bottom of the fifth inning from Rogers State.

Then, in the top of the sixth inning, the Gorillas got a spark from Heather Arnett with a single up the middle. Next up, Hannah Burnett laid down a bunt and used her speed to get to first and move Arnett to second. After a grounder’s out to first from Paxtyn Hayes moved the runners into scoring position, a Maddie Fernandez SAC fly brought home Arnett for the tying run.

Both teams struggled to bring home runs and the game tied at one it went to extra innings. It wasn’t until the bottom of the ninth inning that the game got very interesting. The Hillcats had a runner on second and in scoring position. A batter hit a shot to centerfield toward Arnett. Her throw home was not in time as the runner scored to walk it off.

Pitt State finished the game with a total of four hits. Heather Arnett, Hannah Burnett, Courtney Storey and Kadyn Trochim all had one hit. Arnett scored one run.

In the circle, MIAA Freshman of the Year Ava Laurent pitched 6.2 innings allowing seven hits and gave up one run with only one strikeout. Hannah Martin came in as a reliever and pitched one inning with two hits and no runs. Chelsea Beville finished the game as she only pitched 0.2 innings allowing two hits and one earned run. She took the loss.

Next up, the Gorillas will have the Selection Show on Monday, May 6th at 9 a.m. to find where they are ranked in the NCAA Tournament. Pitt State is currently ranked one in the Central Region.

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