February 28, 2008

Gorillas, Kansas Wesleyan Split Twinbill

    PITTSBURG -- Lindsay Birchfield belted a two-run home run as part of a four-run first inning to power Pittsburg State University to a 6-0 victory over Kansas Wesleyan University Thursday (Feb. 28), but the Lady Coyotes bounced back to claim a 1-0 win over the Gorillas in the nightcap at the PSU Softball Complex.
    Birchfield sandwiched her homer -- the first of her collegiate career -- in between a pair of run-scoring doubles by Lori Lockhart and Tiffany Swanson, as the Gorillas (2-4) got a quick start against KWU starter Jamie Peat (0-1).
    Swanson (1-0) made the early lead stand up, scattering five hits over seven innings of work. She allowed two walks and fanned 10 batters in the contest.
    Maria Bernal added a sacrifice fly and Jessica Jones an RBI single in a two-run sixth inning for Pitt State.
    In the nightcap, Katie Coker scored from third base on Eileen Treff's fielding error with two outs in the top of the seventh inning for the only run of the game. Coker (1-0), who allowed just four hits and registered seven strikeouts on the mound, singled with two outs in the seventh, stole second and third base before scoring when Treff couldn't field Jessica Barkley's grounder to third.
    Jones got a two-out double in the bottom of the seventh for the Gorillas, but Haley Deaton flew out to deep center field to end the game.