CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State softball team continued its winning ways with a doubleheader sweep of Missouri Southern on Wednesday (Feb. 28) at the Diamond Sports Complex to extend its winning streak to 11-straight games. RSU took game one, 8-1, and got a late run in game two for a 2-1 victory.
 
RSU 8, MSSU 1
 
The Hillcats (15-4, 2-0 Heartland Conference) scored two early runs in game one and then pulled away late for the 8-1 victory.
 
An error allowed the first run to score in the second inning before a single up the middle from Merissa Smith made it 2-0 after two innings.
 
With the outfield playing in, MSSU's Abi Corbett knocked an RBI triple to the wall to put the Lions on the board for a 2-1 score in the fifth inning.
 
The navy and red poured it on in the sixth with six runs for the 8-1 victory. Rylee DeLozier, who was named the Heartland Conference Hitter of the Week on Tuesday, hit a two-run homer to start the scoring in the inning. A bases-loaded walk added another run before a Tailee Reding double to the gap drove in two more runs for a 7-1 score. Allie McFetridge plated the final run of the inning for the 8-1 final score.
 
Andrea Morales earned the win in the circle, starting and going 4.1 innings. She allowed five hits and one earned run, but tallied three strikeouts. Reding came in for the final 2.2 innings, picking up the save, her second of the season. She registered two strikeouts.
 
Smith finished 2-for-3 with two RBI at the plate.
 
RSU 2, MSSU 1
 
In the nightcap, Taylor Santistevan drove in a late run to lift the Cats to the 2-1 victory.
 
With the score tied at 1-1 in the sixth, the junior singled to right to score Kenzi Ziem for a 2-1 score. The navy and red had runners at first and second before the Santistevan hit due to a single from McFetridge and a walk from Danelle Day. Ziem and Katy Taylor pinch ran for the two hitters.
 
MSSU went up 1-0 in the third inning of game two, scoring on an error.
 
The navy and red tied the score in their half of the third inning. Smith knotted the game at 1-1 with a solo home run off the scoreboard in right field, her team-leading seventh of the season.
 
Reding continued her outstanding day in the circle, pitching the complete seven innings and allowing only four hits with three strikeouts. The one run was unearned. The freshman from Kansas, Okla. hasn't allowed an earned run in more than 17 innings. She moved to a perfect 6-0 in the circle this season.
 
The Hillcats continue a nine-game home stretch with a Heartland Conference doubleheader against Texas A&M International on Saturday (March 3) at 12 p.m. at the Diamond Sports Complex. Coverage will be available on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com.