CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State bent but didn't break as the Hillcats beat Oklahoma Baptist in dramatic fashion on a historic night at the Hillcat Complex Thursday.
 

RSU saw its six run lead evaporate, then rallied to score the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning and claim an 8-7 victory in the first ever night game at the Hillcat Complex.
 

Following a dedication ceremony for the field's new lighting system, the Hillcats raced out to a 7-1 lead in front of a record home crowd of 325 fans. RSU jumped on Bison starter Josh Palmer for three runs in the bottom of the first. Greg Speed led off with a double and scored on a single by Ryan Littlejohn. Blake Kelley reached on an error and Brandon Denton delivered a two-out, two-run single to push the lead to 3-0.
 

Senior catcher Eric Schulz doubled to start the second inning and scored on a single by Littlejohn. Two batters later Zach Hamby belted his eighth home run of the season to put the Cats in front, 7-1. Palmer was lifted after just 3.1 innings and OBU was on the ropes.
 

However, in the fifth inning the Bison began to chip away with the aid of the long ball. Mason Reilly roped a two-run homer to right field in the fifth and Joshua Callazo followed with a two-run bomb in the sixth. Callazo's homer was the final run of the day allowed by RSU starter Chris Graves. The southpaw tossed six innings and allowed five runs on six hits with five walks and five strikeouts.
 

Chris Chambers led off the top of the seventh with a solo shot to right off Hillcat reliever Grant Cosby, cutting the lead to 7-6. Things appeared to be slipping away as Billy Thomas singled to start the OBU eighth and scored the tying run on a double by Kyle Cooper. Cooper represented the go-ahead run at third base with just one out in the inning.
 

Freshman southpaw Sam Cornell relieved Cosby and got back-to-back strikeouts to escape the jam and keep the game tied at 7-7. The RSU offense, which had been shutout for five straight innings, finally awoke from its slumber in the bottom of the eight. Kelley laid down a perfect bunt single and went from first to third on a single by Hamby. Coby Wright followed with an RBI groundout to put the Cats back in front, 8-7.
 

Cornell retired the first two batters in order in the ninth before issuing a walk to Keith Johnson. Josh Kirkpatrick followed with a soft liner into left-center field that was snagged by a diving Littlejohn to record the final out and secure the win.
 

Cornell (3-0) earned the win with 1.2 innings of relief, racking up three big strikeouts in the process. Derek Edwards (4-1) was the hard luck loser after pitching 4.1 innings of effective relief for the Bison. He shutdown the Hillcats over the middle innings but was charged with the eventual winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
 

The RSU win snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Bison who boasted a 26-6 record entering Thursday's contest. Littlejohn paced the Hillcats with three hits while Hamby, Schulz and Travis Harold each had two.
 

Rogers State (18-10, 9-9) picked up an important conference win and will look to take the series from OBU when the two teams match-up in a doubleheader Saturday in Shawnee. First pitch from Bison Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.