PITTSBURG, Kansas - The Winona State University softball team went 1-1 on their first day of competition at Pittsburg State University on Friday, March 17, finding themselves on both sides of a pair of strong pitching performances in the doubleheader.
In game one, WSU needed a seventh-inning infield single to break up a perfect game by PSU's Hannah Harrison, falling 3-0, but rebounded to win the nightcap 4-1 behind a strong outing by Warrior pitcher
Abby Smith.
Pittsburg State 3, Winona State 0
A
Carly Engelhardt infield single disrupted a possible perfect game by the Gorillas' Hannah Harrison and ended her no-hit bid in a game where the Warrior bats were held in check.
With one out in the seventh inning, Engelhardt became the first WSU player to reach base in the contest. Up until that point, Winona State had suffered five strikeouts and had not earned a walk off of Harrison. WSU's
Abbie Hlas went the distance, scattering six hits but was tagged with the loss to move to 7-3 on the year in the Warrior pitching circle. Hlas picked up two strikeouts and did not walk a batter on the day.
PSU scored two runs in the first inning with back-to-back extra base hits. The Gorillas added a third insurance run in the fourth inning, producing the final 3-0 scoreline. The Gorilla victory evened the two teams' series record at 5-5, dating back to March 20, 2013.
Winona State 4, Pittsburg State 1
Winona State's
Abby Smith scattered five hits over seven innings to earn the complete-game victory, holding Pittsburg State to just one run in the game, their second-lowest scoring total on the season.
Smith struck out five and walked just one and saw her Warrior teammates battle back offensively early on. WSU fell behind 1-0 in the bottom of the first but would answer with four runs across the fourth and fifth frames to earn the come-from-behind win.
Logan Anderson delivered a triple in the fifth inning to break a 1-1 deadlock, scoring
Ashlee Chantos and
Dana Jones. Later on, Anderson would score in the fifth inning on a passed ball to complete the WSU offensive showing in the game, resulting in the 4-1 scoreline.
Chantos was the only multi-hit Warrior with two base hits, while
Abbie Hlas,
Carly Engelhardt and
Marissa Mullen each contributed a hit to the top of the Warrior lineup. In addition to Anderson's triple,
Savannah Serdynski added a base hit as well.
With the split against Pittsburg State, Winona State moves to 16-7 on the year. The Warriors will be off on Saturday, March 18 due to temperatures in Pittsburg, Kansas, but are scheduled to play Missouri Southern State on Sunday, March 19. The Lions and Warriors will start at 1 p.m. at Pittsburg State in the neutral site matchup.
