CLAREMORE, Okla. –The Rogers State softball team split its home opener with Northwestern Oklahoma State on Wednesday afternoon at the Diamond Sports Complex.
The Hillcats staged a thrilling, 4-3, come-from-behind, walk-off victory in the opener while the Rangers answered in the nightcap with a 11-3 short-game victory.
GAME ONE The Hillcats dented the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with a lead off, first pitch home run belted over the right-center field fence by
Chelsie Drew.
The Rangers left runners stranded in the second and third innings but evened the score in the fourth as the Hillcats committed two costly errors that led to the tying run.
After a scoreless fifth, the Rangers took the lead in the sixth with a pair of runs on three hits with the help of one RSU error.
Malori Moss got the rally started in the seventh with a leadoff single to left field.
Carley Conley singled up the middle to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch brought Moss home and sent Conley, the tying run, to third.
Bailey Spencer drove in the tying run with a one-out single through the right side of the infield. With two outs and the game winning run at second base, Drew belted a single in the left-center gap to drive in the game winning run.
Drew led the Hillcat offense, going 3-4 with two RBI while Conley was perfect at the plate, going 3-3.
Bailee Kaderka earned the complete game victory in the circle, allowing three runs, one earned, on nine hits with four strikeouts.
Allora Miller was tagged with the complete game loss, allowing four runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts.
GAME TWOIn the finale, the Ranger's bats came alive, using 13 hits to drive in 11 runs and earn the run-rule victory in five innings.
NWOSU tallied a trio of runs in the first and second innings to jump out to a six-run lead. RSU cut the deficit in the bottom of the second with a pair of runs. Kaitlin Alexander led off the inning with a single down the left field line. With runners on second and third,
Toni Shurtliff ripped a two-out, two RBI double off the wall in left field.
The Rangers piled on the runs in the third with three more runs and capped their scoring in the fourth with two runs.
RSU erased one run in the fourth with a RBI double by Moss but couldn't avoid the short-game loss.
Jessica Christian suffered the loss in two innings of work, allowing four runs on five hits with one strikeout.
Shelby Anderson garnered the win, allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits in the five innings of work.
Rogers State (1-5) will return to the road on Friday as the Hillcats travel to San Antonio, Texas to take on St. Mary's in the Heartland Conference opener at 3 p.m.
