MARYVILLE, Mo. - The Northwest Missouri State University softball team earned its first MIAA series sweep of the year by taking down the Pittsburg State University Gorillas at Bearcat Field.

Northwest (11-34 overall, 5-15 MIAA) won the first game in five innings, 11-1, before rallying for a 5-4 triumph in game two. Pittsburg State falls to 22-25 overall and 4-18 in MIAA action.

Northwest cranked out seven home runs as the wind blew toward right-center field all day in excess of 30 miles per hour.

It was Northwest's first sweep of an MIAA opponent since last May 1 when the Bearcats also took a pair from Pittsburg State. It was Northwest's first sweep of an MIAA foe at home since taking two from Washburn on April 22, 2021.

GAME ONE
Northwest launched five homers in the 11-1, five-inning triumph over Pittsburg State.

The home run assault began from the on-set as Skylar Pieper launched a solo blast as the Bearcat leadoff hitter. Madison Friest brought home Olivia Daugherty and Abby Nolte with a double to give Northwest a 3-0 lead in the first.

Pieper led off the second inning with a walk and scored on an RBI single from Nolte. Lauren Gray unloaded with a two-out, grand slam to push the Bearcat advantage to 8-0. 

The Gorillas scored their only run of the contest on a two-out RBI single from Paxtyn Hayes in the top of the third.

Brylee Kemper belted her first collegiate home run when she led off the bottom of the third.

Nolte and Friest continued launching homers in the fourth as they each cracked solo home runs to lead off the bottom of the fourth. 

PSU put two runners on with two outs in the fifth, but Dickey got PSU's Hayes to flyout to the wall in right field for the final out.

Breck Dickey was on her game as well in the circle. Dickey allowed five hits and struck out nine as she allowed one run in the complete game. Dickey improved her season pitching mark to 6-12. Dickey moved her season strikeout mark to 109, which ranks as the ninth-best single-season total in Bearcat softball history.

GAME TWO
Northwest rallied from a 4-1 deficit to overtake Pittsburg State and score the doubleheader sweep.

Madison Friest collected her second solo homer of the day in the second inning with a leadoff bomb to give Northwest a 1-0 lead.

PSU answered back with a single run in the third and added three more in the fourth to take a 4-1 lead.

Abby Nolte clocked a two-out, solo home run to deep center over the American flag to trim the PSU lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth.

Northwest used a two-out rally in the seventh to complete the comeback victory. Skylar Pieper singled to get it started. Jacee Winn fought off a two-strike count with a single through the left side to put runners on first and second and bring the tying run to the plate in Olivia Daugherty. Daugherty dumped a single to left that drove in Pieper. PSU left fielder Tristan Hinkle misplayed the ball allowing Winn to move to third and Daugherty to second.

Nolte delivered a shot to deep center for a two-RBI, walk-off double as Winn and Daugherty danced across home plate.

Bearcat reliever Raven Defrain came in on to spell starter Hayden Simmons in the sixth. Defrain pitched the final two innings and claimed the win for her second victory of the season. Defrain allowed two hits and struck out one Gorillas in her two innings of work.

NOTES: Northwest will wrap up its home schedule Tuesday at noon with a doubleheader against Missouri Southern ... Abby Nolte leads the Bearcats with 10 home runs this season ... Nolte also leads the team with 13 multi-RBI games ... Olivia Daugherty has posted 12 multi-hit contests ... Lauren Gray has driven in a team-best 27 runs ... Gray has posted a team-best seven multi-RBI games ... Skylar Pieper is tops in the team in batting average (.327) with Nolte in second (.322) ... Jacee Winn is batting .313 and Madison Friest is batting .306.