CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State softball team came up short to rival Northeastern State as the RiverHawks took two from the Hillcats on Tuesday at the Diamond Sports Complex. NSU won the two games by scores of 8-5 and 11-1 (5 innings).
GAME ONE
The visiting RiverHawks put up five runs in the fourth inning to erase a deficit and take a 6-3 edge over the Hillcats en route to the 8-5 game one win.
RSU pulled out to an early 3-1 advantage in the second inning. With the score tied 1-1,
Ashleigh Stidman singled to bring in
Randye Sharpe to put the Hillcats up 2-1.
Katelyn Gamble singled to the pitcher and her speed forced an error that allowed Stidman to score for the 3-1 lead.
NSU went up 6-3 with the five runs in the fourth inning. An error by the Hillcats allowed the RiverHawks to tie the score at 3-3, and an infield single plated one more run for a 4-3 edge. Two more runs scored with a single to right field with the bases loaded. NSU added two runs in the fifth inning for an 8-3 margin.
The Hillcats scored two runs in the fifth inning on a two-run home run by
Taylor Sutterfield to left field for the 8-5 score.
Arika Araujo went 3-for-4 with one run scored. Sutterfield finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored. Also with two hits were Stidman and
Jamie Kowalick.
NSU's Kayce Wooldridge got the win going the full seven innings and allowing four earned runs and 12 hits to the Hillcats with seven strikeouts.
GAME TWO
With the scored tied at 1-1 after three innings, the RiverHawks pounced on the Hillcats with 10 runs in the final two innings of a run-rule shorten five-inning contest as NSU won 11-1.
After NSU scored one run in the first due to an RSU error, the Hillcats knotted the score as 1-1 when
Morgen Blanchard got in a rundown between first and second allowing Stidman to score from third.
The RiverHawks built a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning. The scoring started with a solo home run to center field, and an errant throw by RSU scored the second run. One more run in the inning scored on a fielder's choice.
In the fifth inning, NSU added seven runs to get the 11-1 victory. A three-run home run made it 7-1. The scoring continued with two singles bringing in the final four runs.
Stidman went 2-for-3 with one run scored. Gamble, Blanchard and Sutterfield added one hit each.
Taryn Gray picked up the win in the circle for NSU allowing five hits and one run in five innings.
The Hillcats (17-27) go to Oklahoma Christian for a three-game Heartland Conference series this weekend in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The series starts on Friday with one game at 7 p.m. A doubleheader follows on Saturday starting at 12 p.m.
