LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 15-ranked Rogers State dropped Friday's doubleheader versus No. 6-ranked Lubbock Christian, moving the Chaparrals into a tie for second in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings, at Hays Field.
RSU committed two errors leading to three unearned runs as the Cats dropped game one to the Chaps, 5-4. In the nightcap, LCU used 11 hits on the way to a 9-1 victory.
GAME ONE
The Hillcats' Eric Baker led off game one with a double to left center and scored on a Jose Olazagasti ground out as RSU took a 1-0 lead in the first.
LCU answered with a run of its own in the home half of the first inning but the Cats responded in the second with a pair of run. An Emmanuel De La Cruz solo home run was followed with a RBI double to right center field by Baker pushing the advantage to 3-1 in favor of the Diamond Cats.
Cody Campbell led off the fourth with a single to center and moved to second on an error. Jean Francois Dumais-Fyfe pinch running for Campbell moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a De La Cruz ground out to first base.
In the Chaparral fifth, a throwing error by the Hillcat short stop led to a sacrifice fly RBI by Joel Lutz. LCU added a RBI single up the middle by Brennyn Smith to tally a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to trim the RSU advantage to 4-3.
The Chaps struck again in the seventh with its back against the wall posting two runs, including walk off double to shallow right field, giving LCU the 5-4 victory.
Baker went 3-for-4 on the afternoon with one RBI and plating a run. Hillcat starter Shawn Spainhoward (6-4) suffered the loss allowing 12 hits with five runs, only two earned, in the complete game.
Kyle Forsyth pitched 6.1 innings in the start for the Chaps before giving way to Monty McCasland (3-1) for the victory.
GAME TWO
In game two the Chaparrals dented the scoreboard tallying nine runs on 11 hits. LCU scored two runs in the second inning before adding three runs in the third and four in the fourth.
RSU put one run up in the top of the fifth inning on a solo home run to center field by Cody Campbell as the Hillcats fell 9-1.
The Hillcats scored one run on four hits while committing one error in the game two loss. Kyle Duncan (6-2) received the loss, the starter lasted four innings giving up nine earned runs on 10 hits. Casey Cassity saw two innings of work in relief giving up one hit and fanned one.
Derek Loera (8-3) earned the complete game victory giving up an earned run on four hits as he fanned eight Hillcat batters.
Rogers State (30-15, 14-8) will face Lubbock Christian (34-13, 14-8) in a doubleheader starting at Noon at Hays Field on Saturday, April 20. Live stats and audio is offered by the Lubbock Christian athletic department with video streaming available for purchase at www.lcuchaps.com.
