LAWTON, Okla. – The Rogers State softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader at Cameron Tuesday afternoon in the season opener for both squads falling 14-0 and 8-3 at McMahon Field.
A team that reached the NCAA Division II Regionals in 2014, the Aggies smacked six home runs and totaled 25 hits in the two games picking up where they left off last season.
GAME ONECameron used four home runs to control the opening game of the twin bill winning 14-0 in five innings.
The Hillcats got a one-out single in the first inning by
Cailin Simpson and she moved to second on an error but was stranded there. The Aggies threatened from the start on a pair of walks but RSU starter
Rachel Jones struck out Lauren Renneker to end the first scoreless.
Cameron broke the game open in the second getting an RBI triple from Carly Allerheiligen before Paige Daino delivered a grand slam. A diving stop on a sharp grounder up the middle by
Carley Conley got the Hillcats out of the inning trailing 6-0.
The Aggie bats stayed hot in the third inning belting three home runs, including the second of the game for Daino, increasing their lead to 12-0. Cameron added two more runs in the fourth winning the season opener for both teams, 14-0, as Kelsey Watson allowed three hits in the complete-game shutout.
GAME TWORenneker led the Aggies with four hits and three RBI as Cameron broke open a tie game tallying five late runs to win the final game of the doubleheader, 8-3, despite 11 hits from RSU.
After the first two batters of the game struck out swinging, the Hillcats got back-to-back singles from Conley and
Katlin Alexander.
Chelsie Drew stepped up with a chance to deliver two-out runs but her fly ball found the center fielder's glove closing the inning.
The Aggies opened the scoring with two outs in the first on Renneker's RBI single. RSU starter
Bailee Kaderka ran into trouble in the second loading the bases with three-straight one-out singles but escaped the jam getting a strikeout and a grounder to third. Cameron doubled its lead in the third when Renneker turned on an inside pitch sending a solo home run to left starting the inning.
The Hillcats finally broke through in the fourth tying the game on a two-run double to right center from junior transfer
Maggie McBrayer. Alexander drew a walk to open the frame and Drew followed with a single before
Ashleigh Stidman advanced both runners on a sacrifice bunt leading to the McBrayer double.
The tie game was short lived as the Aggies moved back in front, 3-2, in the bottom of the fourth as Allerheiligen came around to score after a lead-off single. RSU had a chance to tie the game again in the fifth but left Simpson at third after her one-out double. Renneker belted her second home run of the game in the fifth off reliever
Jessica Christian putting the lead back to two, 4-2, and the Aggies added an insurance run pushing their advantage to three.
McBrayer cut the deficit back to two, 5-3, sending a blast over the fence in right center on the first pitch of her at bat for the first RSU round-tripper of the season. She finished the game a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with all three Hillcats' RBI.
A three-run sixth gave the Aggies the 8-3 win as Sonora Zukerman picked up the victory in the circle throwing 4 1/3 innings while Kaderka took the loss for the Cats allowing three runs on eight hits in four innings of her in her debut.
Rogers State (0-2) is back in action Tuesday, Feb. 17 for its home opener at the Diamond Sports Complex with a doubleheader against Bacone. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and can be found live on the Hillcat Network at
www.rsuhillcats.com/live.
