WICHITA – Senior outfielder Kaitlyn Buck hit a game-winning grand slam home run to propel the Newman softball team to a 7-5 win over Pittsburg State on Wednesday (March 25) in game two of a doubleheader at the Newman Softball Field. PSU won game one, 5-3.
 
Newman 7, Pittsburg State 5
 
Buck blasted a 1-1 pitch to left field to bring home four runs for the 7-5 win in walk-off fashion. The Jets trailed 5-2 heading into the seventh. Breanna Pingry knocked in the first run of the inning with an RBI ground out. Madison Bish scored for the 5-3 score. With Taylor Mannis and Courtney Sartin on second and third, Kassidy Furr walked to load the bases to set the stage for Buck.
 
The Gorillas took an early 3-0 lead in the game, all three runs coming off two homers. In the first, PSU plated one with a solo shot to left field. A two run home run in the fourth made it 3-0.
 
NU got on the scoreboard with two runs in the fourth inning. Annie Gentry singled to score Buck for a 3-1 score, and Kelsey Jones doubled to left to score Mikayla Medbery. Gentry was thrown out at home on the ball to end the inning.
 
PSU went up 5-2 with another home run. The solo shot in the fifth upped the Gorillas edge to 5-2.
 
Jensen Cromer came in to pitch the final 3 innings and got the win as she didn't allow a hit and had one strikeout in nine batters. Jones started and went the first 4 innings.
 
Buck finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. Sartin was 3-for-4 with one run scored. The Jets totaled nine hits to five from PSU.
 
Pittsburg State 5, Newman 3
 
The Jets late rally came up short in the first game as PSU won 5-3.
 
PSU got out to a 2-0 lead with two solo home runs. The first homer came in the third inning with the second in the fourth inning for the 2-0 score.
 
With the bases loaded in the fourth, Cromer was hit by a pitch to score Sarah Balderas for a 2-1 score.
 
A single to right field in the sixth inning increased the Gorilla lead to 3-1, and a two-RBI singled in the seventh made it 5-1.
 
The Jets plated two runs in the seventh inning; however, they couldn't get any closer. Sartin doubled to left center to score the two runs. Taylor Mannis and Ellise McGowan scored on the double.
 
Mannis was 2-for-4 with one run scored. Sartin went 1-for-3 with two RBI.  

The Jets play UTPB this weekend in Heartland Conference action. The three-game series starts on Friday (March 27) with a doubleheader at 2 p.m.