CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State baseball dropped game one on six late runs by Texas A&M International for a 6-3 score, but the Hillcats responded with a dominating 9-5 win over the Dustdevils in game two for a doubleheader split on Saturday (March 31) at the Diamond Sports Complex.
 
The Hillcats (17-13, 3-5 Heartland) and the Dustdevils (11-18, 3-5 Heartland) split the four-game Heartland Conference weekend series.  
 
TAMIU 6, RSU 3
 
The Dustdevils plated six runs in the final two innings to take game one, 6-3, over the Hillcats.
 
After the navy and red battled back to tie the score at 3-3 heading into the seventh inning, Texas A&M International used a bases-loaded two-out double down the line to drive in all three runs for the 6-3 victory. Mathew Trevino of TAMIU came up with the big hit in game one to score the three runs.
 
The Hillcats held a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game until the Dustdevils put up three runs in the sixth inning to go in front 3-1. After a wild pitch allowed one run to score for a 1-1 tie, an error on a throw over to second for what would have been the third out of the inning scored two runs for the 3-1 score.
 
With runners on the corners after a hit and an error, Grant Farris pulled the Cats to within one at 3-2 with an infield RBI single. Freshman Dylan Russell knotted the score at 3-3 with a two-out RBI single down the line in left to plate Blake Chiaramonte.
 
In a game that featured only one run through five innings, the navy and red went up 1-0 in the second when Russell's sac fly scored Brooks Douglass. After a leadoff walk in the inning by Douglass, RSU advanced him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch advanced Douglass to third before the sac fly.
 
Spencer Bivens started game one, going 5.2 innings with four strikeouts. He allowed seven hits and only one earned run. Joey Lucas and Brock Knoten pitched in relief.
 
Russell went 1-for-2 with two RBI. Chiaramonte finished 2-for-4 with one run scored.
 
RSU 9, TAMIU 5
 
After a slow start in game two, the navy and red totaled four runs in the third inning en route to a 9-5 victory and a doubleheader split on Saturday to end the series.
 
With the bases loaded in the third inning, Zack Mann singled to the gap in left for an early 1-0 score. Chiaramonte doubled deep to right to plate the other three runs in the inning for a 4-0 margin.
 
Chiaramonte added to his RBI total with a bases loaded walk in the fourth inning to make it 5-0.
 
Senior Garrett Hall hit a two-RBI double off the wall in the fifth inning to increase the advantage to 7-0.
 
The Cats poured on two more runs in the sixth inning to extend their margin to 9-0.
 
TAMIU got on the scoreboard in the seventh and eighth innings with five runs for the 9-5 final score.
 
AJ Deason started game two and improved to a perfect 5-0 on the season. He went 5.0 innings with three strikeouts and only three hits allowed. Preston Whitten, Landon Nealon, Sean Robinson and Lucas pitched in relief in game two.
 
Chiaramonte went 2-for-4 at the plate with four RBI. Mann was 2-for-4 with one RBI.
 
The Hillcats travel to St. Edward's for a four-game series against the Hilltoppers next weekend. The series starts on Friday with a doubleheader at 1:30 p.m. The weekend concludes with another twinbill on Saturday 12:30 p.m.