CLAREMORE, Okla. - The Rogers State baseball team opened the 2008 eight season by splitting a pair of competitive one-run games at the Hillcat Complex Friday.
 

The Hillcats took the first game of the year with a 1-0 win over York College (York, Neb.) before coming up on the short end of an 8-7 see-saw battle in the night cap.

GAME ONE
 

Junior Brandon Denton tripled to lead off the bottom of the first inning and promptly scored on an RBI groundout by senior Greg Speed. A trio of Hillcat pitchers made the one-run lead stand up for seven innings.
 

Starter Shawn Epps pitched four strong innings to record his first win for RSU. The hard-throwing right-hander allowed two hits and only three base runners before giving way to the bullpen. Lefty Sam Cornell followed with two scoreless innings of relief and Ryan White recorded his first save by pitching a spotless seventh frame. The RSU pitching staff allowed just three hits and combined for four strikeouts and two walks in its season debut.
 

The Panthers advanced a runner to third base just once in the ballgame. Langston Frison reached on an error, but was left stranded at third in the top of the sixth inning as Cornell got Gary Bandy to groundout to end the inning. Denton had two of the Hillcats five hits. Speed, Ryan Littlejohn and Coby Wright each chipped in with a single.

GAME TWO
 

The Hillcats opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning once again in Game 2. Denton led off with a triple for the second consecutive game, this time igniting a three-run rally. Speed reached on an error and sophomore Blake Kelley followed with an RBI single to left field. A Zack Hamby sacrifice fly and an RBI single by Travis Harold gave the Cats a 3-0 lead.
 

York finally got its offense going with a four-run second inning. RSU junior right-hander Tyler Whitaker loaded the bases to start the inning. A pass ball and a three-run triple by John Richards gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead. Kellen Love added an opposite field homer to right in the third to make it 5-3.
 

Littlejohn answered with his first long ball of 2008, a towering shot down the left field line, to cut the lead in half in the fifth. Kelley followed with a walk and Hamby regained the lead for the Hillcats with a home run to center field to give RSU a 6-5 advantage.
 

York scratched a run across in the top of the sixth with a leadoff walk, an error and two sac bunts to tie the game, 6-6. After getting two quick groundouts to start the seventh, White surrendered a single, a walk and a two-run double to make it 8-6 Panthers. Love delivered the final blow with a shot to right-center, plating the lead runs. He finished 3-for-3 with a double, a homer and three runs scored.
 

Littlejohn singled to start the seventh and later scored on a balk. Zack Hamby followed with a single, but the tying run was left stranded at second base as Joel Fleck retired the final two RSU hitters to record the win.
 

Rogers State (1-1) and York will return to the Hillcat Complex to complete a four-game series with a doubleheader Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.