The USF baseball team suffered its sixth straight loss Monday afternoon as the Cougars (2-8) dropped both ends of a doubleheader, 5-1 and 3-0, to Pittsburg State at Al Ortolani Field in Pittsburg, Kansas.

Junior Andrew Christensen made his first career start in game one. Christensen (0-1) worked a career-high six innings and allowed five runs on ten hits while striking out three batters in the loss.

The Gorillas (2-2) jumped on Christensen early, plating three runs on five hits in the bottom of the first inning.  The Cougar bats showed signs of life in the third but Austin Goodenow was caught stealing after a leadoff single and Anthony Williams was left stranded after a two-out base knock to right field.

Pittsburg State tacked on a run in the fifth and sixth innings. USF pushed across its only run of the day in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Goodenow.

In the second contest, Anthony Williams moved from left field to the mound for the Cougars. Pittsburg had men on first and second with one out in the bottom half of the second. After a groundout, Evan Thomas came to the plate and doubled to left field, knocking in both runs.  The Gorillas took advantage of a lead-off hit by pitch and balk in the fifth inning to go up 3-0 and create the final margin.  

Williams (0-1) tried to help his own cause, going 2-for-3 from the plate with a pair of stolen bases but was stranded twice. He constructed a quality start, giving up three runs on four hits in six innings.

Williams finished the day 4-of-6 from the plate.  Jimmy Maxwell and Noah Coleman each had two hits. 

USF continues its 19 game road swing to open the season on March 10 as it travels to Liberty, Mo., for a four-game series against William Jewell.