SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Rogers State picked up its third tournament championship in three tries by going 5-0 at the University of Illinois-Springfield Tournament over the weekend.
 

The Hillcats edged the host Prairie Stars 1-0 in the opening game of the tournament and then battered their competition the rest of the weekend. RSU won its final four games by an average of 8.5 runs while running its season record to 38-8. Coach Dawn Reed-Schultz's club won the Cowtown Classic (Ft. Worth, Texas) in February and the Dennis Gault Invitational (Blue Springs, Mo.) in March.

GAME ONE (vs. Illinois-Springfield)
 

Kelli Dunagan tossed an eight-inning shutout and Marie Gaudet delivered in the clutch as the Cats claimed a 1-0 victory over the University of Illinois-Springfield to start the tournament.
 

Dunagan was perfect through 6.1 innings before Nicole McAfee broke up the pitching gem in the top of the seventh. RSU stranded six base runners before Gaudet's RBI single in the eighth. Sophomore Mandy Clark started the extra frame at second base and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Chasidy Austin. Gaudet followed with a single up the middle to plate the only run of the game.
 

Dunagan dominated the Prairie Stars for eight innings. She racked up 10 strikeouts without yielding a walk and faced one batter over the minimum in the contest.

GAME TWO (vs. St. Francis)
 

RSU scored 10 runs in the first two innings en route to an 11-1 run-rule victory over St. Francis (Joliet, Ill.) in Game 2.
 

Junior Randi Tyler led the Cats 11 hit attack with a triple, a homer and five RBI. Lillian Nevarez contributed two hits to the cause while Dunagan and Katie Bointy posted two RBI apiece.
 

Jenny Johnson worked three innings in the circle to record the win. She scattered three hits and allowed a run (unearned) with two strikeouts.

GAME THREE (vs. McKendree)
 

Dunagan and Johnson combined for a seven-inning shutout as RSU cruised to a 7-0 win over McKendree (Lebanon, Ill.) Sunday.
 

The Hillcats jumped out to an early lead with four runs in the top of the first inning. Gaudet and Dunagan roped back-to-back singles to start the rally and Megan Wood ripped a two-RBI single. Sara Walkup swatted an RBI single in the fifth and Gaudet and Dunagan tallied RBI singles in the sixth to reach the final margin, 7-0. Dunagan and Wood combined for six hits and three RBI.
 

Dunagan silenced the McKendree offense over six innings. She fanned 10 hitters and allowed only five hits with one walk. Johnson pitched a scoreless seventh inning to preserve the win.

GAME FOUR (vs. Hannibal-LaGrange)
 

Johnson went the distance against Hannibal-LaGrange (Hannibal, Mo.) as the Cats put themselves in position to win the championship with a 10-1 victory.
 

Johnson held the Trojans to one run on five hits over seven innings. She received plenty of backing from her offense as the Hillcats banged out 11 hits. RSU scored four times in the top of the fourth inning to take a 5-0 lead. Austin and Nevarez cranked consecutive doubles to cap a five-hit inning. The Hillcats added a run in the fifth and four more in the top of the seventh. Bointy went 3-for-4 and posted four RBI while Tyler added two hits.

GAME FIVE (vs. William Woods)
 

The Hillcats sealed the tournament championship by blasting Williams Woods (Fulton, Mo.) 8-0 in Sunday's finale.
 

RSU erupted for six runs in the top of the first inning to put an exclamation point on the weekend. Tanya Koch's three-run double highlighted the Cats quick start. Bointy singled home Tyler in the fifth and Austin scored on a passed ball in the sixth to reach the run-rule limit.
 

Dunagan (24-7) tossed her second complete-game shutout of the tournament to close out the weekend. She yielded four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. Nevarez and Tyler led the Hillcat offense with two hits apiece.
 

Rogers State (38-8) remains undefeated in tournament play after winning all five of its games at UIS. The Hillcats outscored their opponents 37-2 on the weekend and improved to 19-0 in neutral site contests this spring. The Cats return home Tuesday to face USAO in a doubleheader at the Hillcat Complex. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.