EDMOND, Okla. – No. 9 Rogers State softball (4-3) swept the first day of action at the UCO/OC Invitational with dominant wins over Western New Mexico (3-4) and Oklahoma Baptist (3-5) on Friday.
 
GAME 1 – RSU 15, WNMU 0 (5 Innings)
 
RSU wasted no time putting runs on the board in the first game of the day as they raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Kaylee Lyon led off the game with a walk and later reached third after McKayla Carney came up with a two-base error by the catcher on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Abbey Rogers drove in Lyon with a sacrifice fly to left. Callie Yellin then began her 3-for-3 day at the plate with a double to left center, scoring Carney.
 
The Hillcats broke the game open in the second inning as they exploded for five runs to extend the lead to 7-0. Carney brought in Brooke Nauman with a single to right. Rogers followed suit with a single to left that plated Mariah Belzer. A Bridgett Morales double to left center scored both Lyon and Carney. Yellin capped off the frame, bringing in Rogers with a single to left.
 
They tacked on one run in the top of the third to go up 8-0, thanks to a Carney double to left center that scored Belzer.
 
RSU pushed across four more runs in the fourth inning to increase the advantage to 12-0. After Yellin beat out an infield single to short and Melaine Heaton drew a walk, Chole Bohuslavicky blasted a three-run shot to straight-away center scoring all three. Karlee Smith later scored on a sacrifice fly from Lyon to round out the frame.
 
The Hillcats added three final runs in the fifth to seal the 15-0 victory. Heaton came in a on an error by the shortstop. Bohuslavicky and Smith scored on RBI singles from Belzer and Lyon, respectively.
 
Torie Sandoval (1-1) earned her first win as a Hillcat, working the final three innings by scattering two hits with four strikeouts. Jade Sanders was also outstanding in her 2.0 inning start, only allowing one hit with three strikeouts. Sophia Solano (1-1) took the loss.
 
GAME 2 – RSU 12, OBU 1 (6 Innings)
 
The Hillcats kept the offense rolling in the second game of the day jumping on the board in the first inning again as the Bison walked the first three batters to start things off. With two outs, OBU walked Mariah Belzer with the bases loaded, allowing Kaylee Lyon to score the game's first run.
 
The Bison offense responded in the bottom half as they tied things at 1-1 with a sacrifice fly to right.
 
RSU was unfazed as they retook the lead 2-1 in the second. After two quick outs to start the frame, Lyon reached first after being hit by a pitch. Later, Abbey Rogers brought her in with a single to left.
 
After a scoreless third inning, the Hillcats expanded their lead with three runs in the fourth to go up 5-1. Bridgett Morales drove in McKayla Carney with a single to right for the first run of the inning. Belzer later cleared the bases with a triple to right center, scoring Rogers and Callie Yellin.
 
RSU put the game away in the top of the sixth as they exploded for seven runs to claim the 12-1 win. After Rogers doubled to lead off the inning, Yellin plated her with her own double to left. Belzer then returned the favor with a double to right and later scored herself on a wild pitch. A Saylor Brown single to short allowed Brooke Nauman to cross home. Lyon capped off the frame as she launched a three-run home run over the left field wall, scoring Melaina Heaton and Karlee Smith.
 
Harley Culie (2-0) earned the win only allowing one run on two hits over 6.0 innings with eight strikeouts. Jorja Barrett (0-1) took the loss.
 
The Hillcats will wrap up the tournament tomorrow as they take on Missouri S&T and No. 20 Southern Nazarene, a rematch of last year's Central Region Championship. First pitch against MST is set for 10:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. against SNU.