JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – No. 8 Rogers State softball (25-6, 4-4 MIAA) took care of business in a doubleheader sweep of Lincoln (4-22, 1-9 MIAA) on the road on Saturday as seven different Hillcats hit home runs on the day.
 
GAME 1 – RSU 12, LU 0 (6 innings)
 
In the first game of the day, the Hillcats wasted no time getting on the board with two runs in the first inning. Chelsea Spain led off the game with a single down the left field line. Bridgett Morales brought her home with a double to left center. Abbey Rogers singled up the middle to put runners on the corners with one out. Callie Yellin plated Morales as she reached on a fielder's choice to short.
 
RSU added a run in the second inning to go up 3-0. Beth Denney launched a solo shot over the left field wall.
 
The Hillcats tacked on three more runs in the fifth inning to push out to a 6-0 advantage. Paxton Donaldson led off the frame with a double to left center. Morales brought her in with a single down the left field line. Yellin reached on a fielder's choice to second. Ashtyn Barrett blasted a two-run bomb over the right center field wall.
 
RSU's bats exploded for six runs in the sixth inning to seal the 12-0 win. After back-to-back singles from Nicole Price and Spain, Donaldson got in on the home run fun with a three-run blast to right. Morales followed it up with her own solo shot to left. Rogers walked and was then pinch run for by Bobbi Leitha. Yellin scored Leitha with a double down the left field line. Jackie Zaferes singled through the right side of the infield to bring in Yellin.
 
Sara Llamas-Howell (12-1) earned the win with 5.0 shutout innings scattering two hits with eight strikeouts. Courtney Hill also turned in an excellent performance pitching the final inning only allowing one hit with three strikeouts. Ashton Stalling (1-8) took the loss.
 
Game 2 – RSU 17, LU 0 (5 innings)
 
The bats stayed hot for the Hillcats in the second game as they sped out to an 8-0 lead in the first inning. After walks of Chelsea Spain and Bridgett Morales, Abbey Rogers kept the home run train rolling with a three-run shot to right center. Callie Yellin walked with Beth Denney moving her to second with a single up the middle. Marissa Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Another walk and back-to-back hit batters pushed across three more runs. Morales came back up to drive in Spain and Nicole Price with a single up the middle.
 
RSU added four more runs in the second to extend the margin out to 12-0. A bases loaded walk of Bobbi Leitha brought in Yellin. Price plated Denney and Smith with a single. Spain scored Leitha with a sacrifice fly to right for the final run of the inning.
 
They pushed across another run in the third to go up 13-0. Denney reached on a fielder's choice to short. A Smith double to right center put runners in scoring position with one out. Leitha plated Denney with a ground out to third.
 
Four final runs came home for the Hillcats in the fourth inning to seal the 17-0 win. Nicole Gonzalez led of the frame with a single through the right side. Jackie Zaferes singled to right center to put runners at first and second. Makayla Jackson launched a three-run homer to straight away center. Samantha Farris followed suit with RSU's seventh round tripper of the day to right center.
 
Jade Sanders (8-2) earned the win with 3.0 shutout innings scattering two hits with four strikeouts. Both Kaci Phelps and Harley Culie had great showings out of the bullpen combining for the final two frames with only one hit and three strikeouts. Joss Marriott (1-3) took the loss.
 
The Hillcats will be back in action on Sunday, April 2 as they travel to Warrensburg, Mo. for a MIAA doubleheader against Central Missouri. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.