The Pittsburg Post 64 Silverbacks won a 1-0 thriller Friday over the Wichita Rangers during their first game in the Gorilla Classic at Pittsburg State’s Al Ortolani Field.

Post 64 pitchers Gabe Brown and Keagan Nash combined on a three-hit shutout and Carsen Nickelson’s RBI single broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the seventh.

Nash earned the win in relief as he faced a bases-loaded situation with two outs in the seventh. Tucker Crowley, Cash McVay and Bode Lubbers were on the bases and Zane Brungardt was at the plate. Nash induced Brungardt into a fly out to right to end the inning.

With one down in the home seventh, Brown hit a ground-rule double. Jake Wegner’s 4-3 groundout moved Brown 90 feet closer to the winning run. Brown scored easily on Nickelson’s single.

Brown allowed no runs on three hits with six strikeouts and three walks over 6 2/3 innings.

Brungardt took the loss and he allowed one run (earned) on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks over 6 2/3 innings.

Two of Post 64’s three hits were in the seventh. Christian Krogen singled in the third.

Grant Nickle worked a walk in the second and then another in the fifth. Nickelson was hit by a pitch leading off the fifth.

Jayden Brown’s hard-hit ball hit Krogen on the basepaths to end the third and Nash hit into a 5-3 double play to change the momentum in the fifth.

The Rangers, a 17U team made up from Wichita-area high schools Bishop Carroll, Maize, Maize South, Andale and Rose Hill, only threatened in the seventh against Brown.

Hunter Axline singled in the first and Malachi Leichner singled in the third.

“Gabe Brown pitched an outstanding game and then Keagan Nash coming in with bases loaded and shutting it down,” Post 64 head coach Zach Vance said. “Timely hitting, two timely hits at the end there to take over the game. So, very good defensively but offensively, we’ve got some stuff to work on.”

The Silverbacks return to the road Tuesday for a doubleheader against rival Iola Post 15. Post 64 swept a season-opening doubleheader 12-4, 3-0 on June 2 against Iola at historic Jaycee Ballpark.

Post 64 enters the doubleheader 9-3 on the summer.

This sports reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/fund/support-local-journalism-project-fund