CLAREMORE, Okla.- The Rogers State baseball team tallied a pair of wins over Sooner Athletic Conference foe Wayland Baptist on Friday night at the Diamond Sports Complex.
The Hillcats jumped out to an early lead in the opener as they used seven hits to plate seven runs in the 7-2 victory. In the nightcap, the Hillcats registered runs in each of the first four innings and held on for the 7-5 win.
GAME ONE
Senior southpaw Shawn Spainhoward faced the minimum in the first three frames and the Hillcat offense backed their pitcher up with a trio of runs. In the bottom of the second, Colton Campbell led off the inning and reached base on a misplayed grounder by the third baseman. Tyler Wheeler followed with a RBI double belted to the left-center field gap. Emmanuel De La Cruz moved Wheeler to third base with a sacrifice bunt and Brandon Bargas sent him home with a RBI groundout to give RSU a 2-0 advantage.
Sophomore Blake Heston pushed the RSU lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third. The Pryor, Okla. native smacked a one-out triple into the right-center field gap and scored on a ground out by Hector Rivera.
WBU dented the scoreboard in the top of the fourth with the help of two RSU errors in the inning, cutting the Hillcat lead to 3-1.
In the fifth frame, RSU pushed the lead to 5-1 with a pair of RBI singles from freshman Caleb Kohlmeyer and junior Jose Olazagasti.
The Pioneers registered a trio of hits in the top of the sixth to plate one run and make it a 5-2 game. However, the Hillcats added two runs in the bottom of the inning with a RBI single by Bargas and a sacrifice fly by Kohlmeyer to push the advantage to 7-2.
Spainhoward faced the minimum in the top of the seventh and earned his sixth win of the season. The St. Peters, Mo. native allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits while fanning five and issuing just one walk.
In his first career start, Kohlmeyer went 1-for-2 with two RBIs. Bargas was the lone Hillcat with two hits and also added a pair of RBIs.
GAME TWO
Olazagasti opened the nightcap with a two-out solo shot blasted over the right field fence in the bottom of the first to give the Hillcats the lead.
Right-handed pitcher Kyle Duncan faced the minimum in the first three frames and the Hillcats capitalized, adding run support in each inning. In the second frame, Keith Poverud started a two-out rally with a single to left field. Kohlmeyer and Heston followed each reaching base on an error to load the bases. Rivera knocked a two-RBI single through the right side of the infield to give RSU a 3-0 lead.
Bargas smashed a two-out, two-run home run over the right field fence in the third to make it a 5-0 contest. The Pioneers found their way onto the scoreboard in the fourth using two hits and an error to cut the RSU advantage to 5-2.
RSU answered in the bottom of the inning with a pair of runs on three hits to make it a 7-2 game. The Pioneer wouldn't go quietly as they chipped away at the deficit with two runs in the fifth. After a scoreless sixth inning where both teams left a runner stranded, WBU added one run in the seventh with a two-out RBI triple down the right field line by Johnny Hendrixson. But that was a close as the Pioneers got to the lead as T.J. Law forced the final batter to ground out to end the game.
Duncan (6-1) registered the win on the mound for RSU. The senior from Bedford, Texas tossed five innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on five hits with two strikeouts. Law earned his team-leading third save of the season as he pitched the final two innings, allowing one run on three hits while fanning two batters.
Colton Campbell went 3-for-4 in the game with one RBI and Rivera went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the team.
Rogers State (27-11, 12-5) return to the Diamond Sports Complex on Saturday to complete the four-game series against WBU with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The games will be streamed on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.
