CLAREMORE, Okla.- The Rogers State softball team registered a doubleheader sweep over Heartland Conference foe Oklahoma Panhandle State on Friday night at the Diamond Sports Complex.

The Hillcats belted 16 hits en route to a 7-1 victory in the opener and squeaked past the Aggies in the nightcap with a 2-1 win.

GAME ONE
RSU senior hurler Yolanda Rios shined in game one, throwing a gem in the circle, fanning 11 while allowing just four hits in the contest. The Fullerton, Calif. native helped her cause on offense, going 3-for-4 with one RBI.

After leaving a pair of runners stranded in each of the first two frames, RSU dented the scoreboard in the third, plating four runs on five hits. Cailin Simpson led off the inning with a single to centerfield and Candace Monigold followed with a walk. Both runners moved into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt by Taran Threet and scored with a two RBI double by Carley Conley belted to centerfield. Makenzie Kirk and Jackie Flores capped the scoring with consecutive RBI singles.

The Aggies answered with an RBI by Rachel Thompson in the top of the fourth but RSU battled back with a pair of RBIs by Conley and Rios in the bottom of the frame.
Monigold capped the scoring in the fifth with a RBI single up the middle, plating Katie Ellington who led off the inning with a single.

Ellington joined Rios with three hits, going 3-for-4 on the day. Monigold and Kirk each went 2-for-2 and Carley Conley went 2-for-4 with a team-high three RBIs.

Rachel Thompson was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs on nine hits in three innings pitched.

GAME TWO
The Hillcats edged the Aggies in the finale, fending off a late rally to secure the win.

RSU struck in the fourth inning with a RBI single by Jackie Flores to take a 1-0 lead.  In the fifth, Jamie Kowalick and Simpson led off the inning with back-to-back single and advanced into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt by Monigold. Threet drove in Kowalick with a RBI groundout to double the Hillcat lead. 

The Hillcats held the Aggies scoreless until the seventh when Laura Trehal belted a two-out solo home run over the left field fence. RSU pitcher Brooklynn Harbert retired the following batter to seal the win. The freshman allowed one run on five hits to clench the win. Samantha Arledge was tagged with the loss, allowing two runs on six hits while fanning five.

Kowalick led the offense, going 2-for-3.

Rogers State (16-32, 8-15) will close out the conference slate and the OPSU series on Saturday at noon. The Hillcats will celebrate senior day prior to the game at 11:45 a.m. The contest will be streamed live on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.