CLAREMORE, Okla. - Rogers State picked up its first Sooner Athletic Conference series victory of the season with a doubleheader split against Northwestern Oklahoma State Saturday at the Hillcat Complex.
 

The teams endured frigid temperatures and gusting north winds in the coldest games ever played at the Hillcat Complex. The Rangers scored seven runs in the top of the sixth inning to take the opener, 10-4. The Hillcats battled back with 10 runs on 13 hits to win the nightcap by the same score, 10-4.

GAME ONE
 

The Rangers rallied from behind to score seven runs in the sixth inning and post a 10-4 victory in the opener. Chris Williams delivered the big blow with a grand slam homer over the center field wall.
 

RSU grabbed the early lead as Brandon Denton doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning. Dan Coury answered with a solo homer for the Rangers in the top of the second but the Hillcats came right back with another run in the bottom of the inning. Rob Rodriguez ripped a two-out double and scored on a single by Joe Mandbodh.
 

Williams retied the game at 2-2 with an RBI single in the top of the third. RSU regained the lead with RBI singles by Joe Faircloth and Rodriguez in the bottom of the fifth to make it 4-2. RSU starter Grant Cosby ran out of gas in the top of the sixth as Vincent Valdez chased him from the game with a two-run double to tie the game for the third time at 4-4.

Reliever Cristian Baez gave up a single to Stephen Fellows upon entering the game and then hit two batters in a row to force home the go-ahead run. Williams then blew the game open with a grand slam, giving him five RBI for the game.

The Hillcats squandered scoring opportunities all afternoon, leaving 14 runners on base in the contest.  RSU left the bases loaded in the fourth and sixth innings and stranded at least one runner on the base paths in every inning. The Cats tallied 12 hits in the loss. Brandon Denton and Rob Rodriguez had three apiece.

Cosby (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season after giving up five earned runs in 5.1 innings of work. Chase Phelps (3-1) earned the victory for the Rangers after allowing four runs over the first five innings.

GAME TWO
 

The Hillcats used the big inning to their advantage in the nightcap. RSU scored three runs in the second inning and six more in the fourth en route to a 10-4 victory.
 

The Cats put together five consecutive hits to start the second inning. Joe Manbodh, Travis Harold, Hank Gray, Rodriguez and Denton each singled as RSU went in front, 4-1. Rodriguez homered to open the fourth and ignited a six-run inning. The Hillcats sent 11 hitters to the plate in the frame with the help of two errors by the Rangers. Rodriguez picked up the final RBI of the inning on a groundout to stretch the lead to 10-2.
 

Freshman hurler Josh Phillipi (2-0) held Northwestern to just two runs over the first four innings to earn the win in his first start. Josh Walker allowed two runs on one hit over the final three frames to record a three-inning save. Cody Keiffer (0-2) was tagged with the loss after giving up four runs, three earned, in one inning on the mound.
 

Gray went 3-for-3 to lead the RSU lineup Zach Hamby, Coby Wright, Mandbodh and Rodriguez tallied two hits apiece.
 

Rogers State (9-5, 2-4) will host a non-conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon against Baker University (Baldwin City, Kan.) at the Hillcat Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.