Pittsburg, Kan. -- The Missouri Southern Lions
lost the nightcap in heartbreaking fashion as the Pittsburg State
Gorillas rallied for five in the ninth to defeat the Lions 8-7 and
finish off the doubleheader sweep. The Lions dropped the
opener 11-5.
The Lions carried a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth when
Zach Potter got the inning started on the wrong foot with a leadoff
homer against reliever Tyler Jinks. Taylor Sibala and
Jeremy Graves followed that with consecutive singles that
prompted head coach Bryce Darnell to summon Garrett Groom
to the hill.
Rhett Rigby then continued the hit parade with a two-run
single that brought the Gorillas to within a run at 7-6.
Groom got within an out of escaping the jam by striking
out Chase Barnes and Jason Murphy swinging.
But Luke Zeller reached on an error that plated the
game-winning two unearned runs to lift the Gorillas to the
dramatic, walk-off victory.
Joe Lincoln doubled in Jacob Taylor for the game's first run in
the first inning before the Gorillas tied it with an unearned tally
in the bottom of the inning.
Taylor then untied it with his sixth home run of the season, a
two-run shot that gave the Lions a two-run lead in the third.
The Lions led 5-3 when Vince Pironti scored Patrick Deao by
smashing his second homer of the season that momentarily gave
Southern a four-run cushion in the eighth inning.
Kevin Humphrey got the start for the Lions and worked 5 2/3
innings, with one earned run allowed and three strikeouts.
Taylor and Zach Caldwell each went 3-of-5 at the plate for the
Lions in the opener, with Taylor driving in three runs.
Lincoln also put the Lions on top in the first
game with an RBI double that scored Caldwell in the first
inning.
The Gorillas then took total command with a seven-spot in
the bottom of the inning.
The first six Gorillas to bat reached base in the inning,
with Sibala and Graves leading off with back-to-back homers to
begin the onslaught. Brian Dean then capped the big inning
with a grand slam that made it 7-1.
The Lions (11-18, 9-13 MIAA) tried to fight back in the fifth as
Lincoln hit his third homer and Michael Zurmehly homered
for the seventh time to bring the Lions to within four runs.
But Jason Murphy answered with a two-run homer in the fifth
and the Gorillas (11-14, 10-14 MIAA) tacked on two more runs in the
sixth to effectively put the game away.
Lincoln was a perfect 4-of-4 with three RBI in the opener for
the Lions.
The Lions will open a four-game series in Kirksville, Mo.
against the Truman Bulldogs beginning with a doubleheader on Friday
(Apr. 2) at 1 p.m.
