HAYS, Kan. - No. 16 Rogers State softball (37-12) punched their ticket back to the MIAA Tournament Championships for the second-straight season with a 7-2 win over No. 24 Pittsburg State (38-14) in the semifinals on Friday.

After a scoreless first inning, the Gorillas got on the board first with two runs in the second inning, with an RBI single and a run coming in on a fielding error.

The Hillcats responded in a big way in the top of the third as they put up five runs to jump in front 5-2. Brooke Nauman laced a one-out double to left to get things started, with Kaylee Lyon earning a full-count walk to put two runners on. McKayla Carney blasted a bases-clearing triple to center, scoring both Nauman and Lyon. Carney then scored on a fielding error by the shortstop. Later in the frame, Bridgett Morales drove in Abbey Rogers and Chloe Bohuslavicky with a two-out double to center. 

They added an insurance run in the fourth as Nauman launched a solo shot to straightaway center to push the lead to 6-2. 

RSU tacked on one final run in the seventh to seal the 7-2 win as Savannah Evans plated Karlee Smith with an RBI triple to right.

Jade Sanders (14-6) earned the complete game win as she only allowed one earned run on one hit with six strikeouts. Ava Laurent (16-6) took the loss. 

With the win, the Hillcats will face off against No. 4 Central Oklahoma in the MIAA Tournament Championship. This will be the first time the two rivals will face each other in the tournament final. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.