ALVA, Okla. - The Rogers State softball team earned its third conference sweep of the spring with two victories against Northwestern Oklahoma State Tuesday afternoon in Alva, Okla.
 
The Hillcats surged past the Lady Rangers despite the fact that three of their biggest hitters were kept off the field. Home run leader Linsey Curtis missed the games due to illness while Taryn Hernandez and Shelby Brogdon were held out with injuries.
 
RSU rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh inning to take the opener, 6-4. The Cats scored four runs in the first inning of the nightcap en route to an 8-0 run-rule victory. Junior Tye Coats picked up both pitching victories with 12 dominant innings in the pitcher's circle. 

GAME ONE
 
The Hillcats showcased their prowess for late-inning heroics once again to edge the Rangers in game one. 

Jodi Patterson was hit by a pitch to start the seventh and Ashlie Fauchier followed with an infield single. Sarah Harvey scored Patterson with a single up the middle and Dina Ortiz executed a squeeze bunt to bring home Fauchier. 

Coats pitched around a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win. She allowed four runs, three earned, with five strikeouts and no walks. Jacey Juden took the loss in relief for Northwestern.

RSU jumped in front by three runs when Patterson belted her first homer of the season in top of the fourth inning. The Rangers tied the game at 4-4 with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and a single tally in the fifth. Fauchier led the Cats with three hits while Harvey and Brittany White chipped in with two apiece.

GAME TWO
 
RSU put four runs on the board in the top of the first inning and rolled past the Rangers for a short-game victory in the game two.
 
White, Coats, Patterson and Marie Gaudet each notched singles in the opening frame. Jordan Ford singled to start the second inning and raced home on a single to left field by White. Harvey made it 6-0 nothing with an RBI rip to left. Katie Bointy doubled to start the third and scored on a double by White. Harvey tallied the eighth and final run with a sacrifice fly to score Ford.

Coats (14-4) shutdown the Lady Rangers from start to finish. She tossed five scoreless frames and allowed just three hits with one strikeout. Meagan Lack suffered the loss for Northwestern. White posted a game-high three hits while Fauchier and Harvey added two knocks apiece.

Rogers State (21-5, 7-1) has rescheduled its doubleheader with Lubbock Christian for Friday afternoon in Claremore. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m .and will be carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.