2008 Woodie Awards
Big win, bigger losses
PSU knocks off UCM, then drops four straight
RYAN ATKINSON
Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: Sports
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The Pittsburg State softball squad came up with what was perhaps its biggest win of the season on April 20. Unfortunately for the young Gorillas, that win was followed by four consecutive losses. The Gorillas earned a split with Central Missouri on April 20, winning the nightcap and handing the Jennies their first MIAA loss of the season. After that win, the Gorillas had won three of four and had improved their MIAA record to 4-8. Then, along with the nasty weather, came the losses. Pitt State dropped both ends of a doubleheader against Truman State on April 21 before falling twice to Fort Hays State on Wednesday. The four losses dropped Pitt State's overall record to 17-27 and moved the Gorillas, now 4-12 in league play, into the next-to-last spot in the MIAA standings. The heavy rains that swept through Pittsburg pushed Wednesday's doubleheader back nearly two hours. Once the skies cleared, Fort Hays attacked. The Tigers bounced back from an early 2-0 hole, scoring seven straight runs and easing to a 9-3 win in the opener. JoAnna Brozovich was tagged with the loss, allowing four earned runs in seven innings of work while striking out three. Tera Swartslander was 2-for-4 with a run while six other Gorillas finished with one hit each. The Gorillas scored four runs in the sixth inning of the nightcap to cut a seven-run deficit to just three at 7-4. The Tigers, however, exploded for seven runs in the top of the seventh and completed the sweep with a 14-4 win. Stephanie Moore suffered the loss, but eight of the 14 runs she allowed were unearned thanks to six Gorilla errors. Swartslander was 3-for-4 with an RBI and Melissa Slayden added two hits to Pitt State's 10-hit attack. Adrian Mohr picked up the win for the Tigers, allowing just one earned run in seven innings of work while fanning four. The Gorillas fell 8-3 and 6-1 to Truman State on April 21. Pitt State picked up just 12 hits in the doubleheader while the visiting Bulldogs rapped out 23. Pitt State's lone win of the home stand came against the most unlikely opponent. After Central Missouri knocked off Pitt State in the opening game of a doubleheader on April 20, the Jennies had won all nine of their MIAA contests. The Gorillas, however, ended that streak in style in the nightcap, rolling to a 8-0 run-rule win. Pitt State scored six times in the third to grab the momentum while Brozovich was dominant on the mound, throwing a two-hit shutout. Jessica Jones delivered the big blow of the six-run third when she drove a three-run home run over the center field wall. Swartslander finished 2-for-2 with a run while six other Gorillas collected one hit each. The Gorillas head to Warrensburg, Mo., this weekend for the Central Missouri Invitational before going to Tahlequah, Okla., for a doubleheader with Northeastern State on May 1. |
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