TAHLEQUAH -- Northeastern State made it to double digits for a second straight day with a 10-run effort against #24 Pittsburg State to claim the Saturday win and the series in the process at Thomas C. Rousey Field.
The RiverHawks (17-17, 8-12 MIAA) went down early to the opposition, with the Gorillas (22-11, 13-7 MIAA) attacking from the start with a three-run first. While NSU scored one apiece in the first, third and fifth, their first multi-score frame would not occur until the sixth, when the RiverHawks entered the bottom half of the stanza in a 6-3 bind.
Brooks Miller drove in
Gage Williams on a sacrifice fly before
Ty Van Meter added three more to the list with his second home run in five games, giving the hosts their first lead of the day at 7-6 entering the last three innings.
The Gorillas failed to respond in the seventh, and the RiverHawks added to PSU's slate of difficulties with another explosive inning from the box, with three more runs making it home, including a two-RBI single from
Brooks Miller. A run scored in the eighth and ninth for PSU, but the late spurt of hitting production did little to overcome the deficit.
The victory hands NSU their third straight MIAA series win, including their first over a ranked foe this year. Individual highlights are led by a three-hit day from
Korben Ford and
Gage Williams, part of a 14-hit performance from the offensive attack.
C.D. White went seven innings and struck out five batters from the bump to win his third straight start, while Ford received the save after two innings of keeping NSU's triumph intact.
Northeastern State will travel to Shawnee, Okla. to face Oklahoma Baptist on Tuesday, Apr. 2.
