JOPLIN, Mo. – Senior right-hander Yolanda Rios threw a complete-game shutout for the Rogers State softball team in game one of a doubleheader at Missouri Southern State Tuesday winning 6-0 before the Hillcats dropped the second 3-0 at Lea Kungle Field.

Fellow senior Katie Ellington helped the cause with a career game at the plate tallying a personal-best four hits in the opener, which equaled a season-high for RSU set by Candace Monigold against the same Lions at Claremore back in March.

GAME ONE
Rios was spectacular in the circle for RSU going the distance scattering five hits over seven innings without allowing an MSSU runner past second base. The senior struck out nine, including four of the first five batters she faced for her third shutout and 10th win of the year.

The Hillcats opened the scoring in the top of the first behind a two-out rally extended by a Lion error. Rios gave herself all the run support necessary driving in three runs on a bases-clearing double to right.
Jamie Kowalick added an RBI single scoring Ellington in the second and the Hillcats scored again in the third when Makenzie Kirk plated Carley Conley with a two-out single for a 5-0 lead.

Ellington ripped her fourth single of the game scoring Kirk from second in the seventh extending the margin to 6-0. RSU had chances to make the score more lopsided leaving runners stranded in all seven innings but managed its fourth road win of the 2014 campaign.

Ellington's career-best four hits led the offense while Conley added two hits and a game-high two runs for the Hillcats.

Sarah Williams suffered the loss for the Lions throwing a complete game giving up just two earned runs of the six scored allowing 10 hits.

GAME TWO
Missouri Southern used RSU's recipe from the opener scoring twice in the first inning getting three hits off Brooklyne Harbert and built the lead to 3-0 in the second, again recording three hits.

Back-to-back singles by Candace Monigold and Taran Threet started the fourth for the Hillcats but MSSU starter Haley Kinnison got out of the frame unscathed.

Harbert settled into the game keeping RSU within striking distance surrendering two hits over the final five innings but the damage had already been done. The freshman did not allow any Lion player to record more than one hit taking the loss.

RSU again got runners on first and second with two outs in the sixth but failed to capitalize. Kinnison kept the Hillcats off the scoreboard matching Rios from game one with the complete-game, five-hit shutout as MSSU earned the split winning the night cap 3-0.

Monigold and Threet combined tallied two hits apiece in the loss while Kowalick added the other. Threet also drew a walk to reach base three times for the Hillcats.

Rogers State (14-32) returns to the Diamond Sports Complex for its final home series of the season against Oklahoma Panhandle State starting with a Friday doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. and can be viewed live on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.