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PITTSBURG, KS. — Facing elimination, Pittsburg State Softball survived and advanced in the NCAA Division II National Softball Tournament with a pair of wins on Friday.
The Gorillas took down the 5-seed Winona State 6-3 to force another elimination game later in the afternoon against 7-seed Rogers State, where they beat the Hillcats 1-0 in a thrilling affair.
The first game of the day against Winona State was rather back-and-forth. The Warriors handed Pittsburg State its first loss of the season back in February and opened the postseason matchup strong with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning.
However, Lexi Franklin settled in in the circle as the game went on, finishing her afternoon with a complete game performance with 4 strikeouts, 3 earned runs and 6 hits allowed.
The offense was sparked by Kadyn Trochim in Game 1 of the day with a solo home run in the bottom of the first.
Lexi Davis and Trista Peterson added RBIs to the board as this one went on, seeing the game tied 3-3 entering the sixth inning.
That’s where Davis solidified herself as the hero of Game 1, blasting a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth to pull away.
“It felt good,” Head Coach Josh Barnes said. “It felt good not only for her but for the program to be able to do that, you know, we knew that she had it in her. And so I looked at her before her at-bat, and I just said, ‘Hey, this is your moment, man. Go live it. Go live it, go do it.’ And it’s really cool when they get that moment.”
The win forced yet another win-or-go home game against the Hillcats, the same team that sent the Gorillas to the loser’s bracket with a 9-3 win over PSU on Thursday. Not only that, but the Hillcats were responsible for knocking Pitt State out of the MIAA tournament less than two weeks ago.
The second matchup saw Emma Crabb toss a complete-game shutout in the circle, finishing with 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 strikeout and only 4 hits allowed.
Pittsburg State was struggling to deliver hits with runners on base, stranding eight baserunners before finally finding the scoreboard in the final inning of play.
In the top of the seventh with Heather Arnett on third, Kadyn Trochim delivered what proved to be the game-winning sacrifice fly to score Arnett and keep the Gorillas dancing in the national tournament.
“Heather is exceptionally fast, so I knew if I got it in the air that Heather would do her job. And I trust her. She trusts me,” Trochim said.
With the pair of wins Friday, the 2-seed Pittsburg State is set to face the 3-seed Central Oklahoma in the region title game.
Due to the loss on Thursday, the Gorillas will need to beat the Bronchos twice in order to advance to the Super Regional round, whereas UCO needs only one win to end the regional. First pitch is set for Saturday, May 16 at 12 p.m.
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