FORT WORTH, Texas - The Rogers State softball team reeled off six consecutive victories to win the Cowtown Classic over the weekend.
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The Hillcats earned five wins over schools from Texas and New Mexico before pummeling the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma 10-0 in the championship game.
GAME ONE
RSU scored three runs in the fourth inning and then held off a late charge by the College of the Southwest (Hobbs, N.M.) to pick up a 3-2 win in the tournament opener.
Tanya Koch ripped a two-RBI double to left field and Sara Walkup added an RBI squeeze bunt to push the Cats in front 3-0. Kelli Dunagan held CSW scoreless over the first two innings before giving way to Jenny Johnson. Southwest made things interesting in the seventh before ultimately flaming out. The Mustangs belted a two-run homer and had the winning run at the plate when Johnson struck out Ashley Turner on three pitches to end the threat and secure the victory.
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Johnson worked the final five innings to record her first win for the Hillcats.
GAME TWO
Dunagan and Jenny Johnson combined to throw a one-hitter as the Hillcats beat Northwood University (Cedar Hill, Tex.) 8-0 in a six-inning run-rule.
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Lillian Nevarez went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and two RBI. She belted her first homer of the season over the left field wall in the top of the third inning to give RSU a 1-0 lead. The Hillcats added two runs in the fourth, another in the fifth and four runs in the sixth to reach the run-rule. Nevarez picked up an RBI double in the sixth as the Cats sent eight batters to the plate in the inning.
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Dunagan didn't allow a hit over the first four innings to earn her second victory of the day. Johnson allowed only one hit and faced one batter over the minimum in the final two innings.
GAME THREE
A five-run fifth innings propelled Rogers State to a 6-0 victory over Texas Wesleyan (Fort Worth, Tex.) as Dunagan and Johnson combined to toss their second consecutive shutout.
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The Hillcats took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when Megan Wood scored on a double to center field by Randi Tyler. Katie Bointy capped a five-run fifth win a two RBI single to right. Bointy and Tyler had two hits apiece for RSU. Dunagan scattered four hits across five innings of work to finish a perfect 3-0 on the day. Johnson yielded just one hit over the final two innings.
GAME FOUR
Bointy cranked two solo home runs and the Hillcats opened Day 2 of the Cowtown Classic with a 6-2 win over Northwood.
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Bointy ignited a five-run second inning with a leadoff homer to left field. Marie Gaudet and Nevarez added RBI singles as the Hillcats jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Bointy belted her second homer of the game in the third inning for good measure. The Knights touched Dunagan for one run in the second and Johnson for one run in the third, but never threatened the outcome. Johnson held Northwood in check over the final four innings to record her first win of the weekend. Gaudet and Bointy combined for four of the Cats six hits in the game.
GAME FIVE
RSU scored two runs in the eighth inning to beat the University of Houston-Victoria 4-3 and advance to the tournament championship game.
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Dunagan laced an RBI single to right in the top of the eighth and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Tanya Koch. The Jaguars scored a run in the bottom of the eighth before Dunagan struck out Curby Ryan to end the game with two runners stranded on the base paths. Dunagan worked all eight innings and racked up seven strikeouts without yielding a single walk. Tyler paced the Hillcats offensively with two hits.
GAME SIX (CHAMPIONSHIP)
The Hillcats showed no mercy to conference foe USAO as they pounded the Drovers 10-0 in a five-inning run-rule.
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RSU scored three runs in the top of the first highlighted by a two-run homer by Dunagan. The Cats put together six singles in the second inning to tack-on five more runs and chase USAO starter Michelle Bauer from the game. Bauer was tagged for seven runs on eight hits in one-plus innings of work.
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The Hillcats tallied 12 hits in just five at-bats. Nevarez, Wood, Bointy and Dunagan had two hits each while representing the top four spots in the batting order. Dunagan picked up three RBI and two runs scored in the rout. Johnson pitched a five-inning complete-game shutout to earn her second win of the season. She gave up two hits and fanned six Drovers without a walk.
No. 18 Rogers State (8-2) extended its winning streak to seven games and claimed the first tournament championship in program history. The Hillcats open conference play at home on Wednesday against Oklahoma Christian. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Hillcat Complex.
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