OKLAHOMA CITY - No. 6 Rogers State softball (22-5) rekindled an old Heartland Conference rivalry against No. 18 Oklahoma Christian (19-11), sweeping the Eagles in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday.
"These were two great wins against a quality program," said head coach Andrea Vaughan. "We had two great performances in the circle from Jade and Harley, and our offense got the job done today. I'm very proud of our team."
GAME 1 - RSU 7, OC 2
The Hillcats jumped on the board first to take an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Kaylee Lyon led off the game with a single to center and then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from McKayla Carney. Abbey Rogers drove her in with a single through the left side of the infield.
The Eagles responded with a run of their own in the home half of the frame to square things at 1-1 with an RBI single to right.
In the third, RSU exploded for four runs to dash back out to a 5-1 lead. A Lyon single and Carney double put runners in scoring position to start the inning. Rogers cleared the bases with a two-RBI single, scoring both Lyon and Carney. Chloe Bohuslavicky capped off the frame as she blasted a two-run homer, plating Rogers.
They added an insurance run in the fourth to extend the advantage to 6-1, thanks to a Rogers RBI double that brought in Lyon. However, OC got a run back in the fifth to cut the deficit to 6-2 with an RBI single to right.
The Hillcats secured the 7-2 win in the seventh as Bohuslavicky drove in Rogers with an RBI double.
Jade Sanders (7-3) earned the win with a 4.1-inning start, only allowing two runs on five hits with a strikeout. Harley Culie (2) earned the save, scattering three hits over the final 2.2 innings with six strikeouts. Grace Anderson (12-5) took the loss.
GAME 2 - RSU 5, OC 3
After a scoreless opening frame in the second game of the day, RSU again jumped out to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning with Callie Yellin launching a one-out solo bomb to left.
The Eagles responded in the third inning with three runs to jump in front 3-1. Two RBI doubles brought in the runs.
RSU pushed across two runs in the fifth to knot the game at 3-3. Mariah Belzer led off the frame with a single to right center. Kaylee Lyon plated her with a two-out double to right center. Later, Abbey Rogers drove in Lyon and McKayla Carney with a double to left center. After two scoreless frames, the game was forced into extra innings.Â
In the top of the eighth inning, with the game being played under international tiebreaker rules, Callie Yellin started frame on second. Bridgett Morales moved her to third with a sacrifice bunt. Mariah Belzer laced an RBI single to the right, scoring Yellin for the go-ahead run. Later in the inning, Mattie Richardson attempted to reach first on a dropped third strike call. A wide throw to first pulled the first baseman off the bag and allowed Belzer to score from second to claim the 5-3 victory.
Harley Culie (10-1) earned the complete game win, only allowing two earned runs on four hits with a strikeout. Jill Dickson (9-6) took the loss.
The Hillcats return to MIAA play on Friday, March 21 as they travel to Edmond, Okla. for a Top 10 clash against rival No. 10 Central Oklahoma. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 2 p.m.
