CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State softball team pounced on Lincoln, winning two games by the identical score of 9-1, as the Hillcats swept a doubleheader with the Blue Tigers on Monday (Feb. 27) at the Diamond Sports Complex.
The Hillcats (12-3) extended their winning streak to four-straight games, and the navy and red have won 12 of their last 13 contests.
Rogers State 9, Lincoln 1
RSU started off with two runs in the first inning and added runs in each of the third, fourth and sixth innings to take game one by the score of 9-1 after six innings.
Kayla Patterson put the Cats up in the first inning, 2-0, with a two-run home run to left. The line-drive homer was Patterson's five of the season.
The Hillcats struck again with three runs in the third inning to go up 5-0.
Katelyn Gamble drove in
Harli Wheeler with an infield single, and Patterson kept her bat going with an RBI single down the line to plate Gamble.
Arika Araujo plated the final run of the inning with a double to the gap in left for a 5-0 advantage.
A bases-loaded walk scored the only run of the game for the Blue Tigers (0-12) in the fourth inning.
Three more runs scored in the fourth inning for the navy and red to build an 8-1 lead.
Ali Turner hit her first collegiate home run with a solo shot to center to lead off the inning. After
Ashley Williams scored on a walk pitch,
De'Leigh Emarthle used a sacrifice fly to make it 8-1 as Wheeler tagged up from third for the run.
The Cats ended the game in the sixth inning when
Morgen Blanchard registered a sac fly to again allow Wheeler to tag up for the score and the final 9-1 margin.
Megan Rosewell totaled her 10th win of the season as she started in the circle and went 4.0 innings, allowing four hits and one unearned run. The junior posted two strikeouts.
Mayra Helguera came in to pitch the final 2.0 innings of relief and finished with three strikeouts.
Patterson registered a 2-for-3 hitting performance with three RBI.
Katelyn Gamble tallied three hits, going 3-for-4 at the plate with one RBI and one run scored from her leadoff spot.
Rogers State 9, Lincoln 1
RSU posted seven runs in the first inning to pull away for the 9-1 win after only five innings in game two of the doubleheader.
The first eight batters for the navy and red totaled hits to start the game. After Gamble doubled to lead off the game, Blanchard singled to bring her home for an early 1-0 score. In the third spot, Emarthle knocked out her team-leading seventh home run of the season to increase the margin to 3-0. With Patterson on after a double, Araujo made it back-to-back doubles to plate Patterson to up the score to 4-0.
Mikayla Waggnor got in on the hot start with a single up to middle to add another RSU run.
The runs continued after a pitching change for LU as
Taylor Santistevan poked a hit out to left to score Waggnor. Wheeler drove in the final run of the inning with a sac fly to plate Turner for the early 7-0 score.
LU totaled its only run of the game when a wild pitch allowed Tori Nienhueser to come home from third.
Waggnor posted her second hit of the day in the fourth, a two-run double off the left field wall that was only inches inside the foul pole, to score the final two runs for the 9-1 final tally.
Rosewell started again in the circle and picked up the win, going 3.0 innings and allowing only two hits.
Edie Fairchild came in for the final 2.0 innings and allowed the one run on one hit with one strikeout.
Ten Hillcats totaled hits with Waggnor finishing 2-for-3 with three RBI.
The Hillcats (12-3) continue their eight-game home stand on Wednesday (March 1) against Southwest Baptist at 1 p.m. at the Diamond Sports Complex. Coverage will be available on the Hillcat Network at
www.rsuhillcats.com/live.
