CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State softball team extended its win streak to four games to open the season with a doubleheader sweep of William Woods University Sunday afternoon at the Diamond Sports Complex.
The Softball Cats won game one 3-0 over the Owls and blasted WWU 11-4 in the nightcap.
Game One
Both squads were held scoreless through four and a half innings before Hillcat catcher Desireé Ayarzagoitia blasted a solo homerun in the bottom of the fifth inning to give RSU a 1-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the sixth the Hillcats added a pair of insurance runs on one swing of the bat. Broken Arrow, Okla. native Candace Monigold's two-run, line drive homerun to left-center put the Softball Cats up 3-0.
Yolanda Rios allowed two base runners in the seventh inning before forced a groundout to end the game on the way to her third win of the season.
Rios (3-0) pitched the complete seven scoreless innings for RSU allowing five hits while fanning three and giving up two walks in the win.
MacKenzie Bowden pitched six innings for the Owls allowing three earned runs on four hits. She retired 10 Hillcat batters on strikes and issued one base on balls in the loss for WWU.
Game Two
In the nightcap of the doubleheader the Hillcats had to overcome a four run deficit built by WWU in the first three innings.
An error to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning and an Ashlie Fauchier single on a bunt was just the kick start the Hillcats needed. A single to left by Jamie King loaded the bases for the Cats. Kailin Simpson single to right to score Katie Ellington from third and cut into the Owls lead at 4-1.
With the bases loaded and no outs Monigold touched them all for the second time on Sunday with a grand slam off a 0-1 count. The bomb to centerfield gave the RSU the lead at 5-4 but the Cats weren't finished in the fourth.
After a pair of outs Taran Threet sent one soaring over the fence on a first pitch swing to push the RSU lead out to 6-4.
The Softball Cats struck again in the bottom of the fifth started with a double to right by Laura Fleck. The next batter up, Threet, singled to right to score Laura Fleck giving RSU a 7-4 lead. A pair of singles loaded the bases as Shelby Brogdon came in to pinch hit. The senior reached on a fielder's choice as Threet scored just before the throw home stretching the RSU lead to 8-4. The Hillcat advantage grew to 10-4 on a single by King to leftfield to score Keck and Ellington.
Fleck faced the minimum in the top of the sixth and RSU added an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning on a Katrina Loy pinch hit single to left to score Monigold putting the score at its final mark of 11-4.
For the second straight inning Fleck faced the minimum as registered the win with 4.1 innings of relief pitching. The Muskogee, Okla. native allowed zero runs while allowing three hits with three strikeouts as she earned her first win in the circle this season.
Becca Schemmer received the loss after starting the game and going 3.1 innings. She allowed six runs, five earned, on seven hits as she walked one and fanned three batters.
Monigold went 4-for-7 with two homeruns, a double and finished with a 1.571 slugging percentage for the day with six RBI.
Rogers State (4-0) returns to action on Saturday at 2 p.m. for a doubleheader showdown versus Grand View at the Diamond Sports Complex on the Claremore campus of RSU.
