BETHANY, Okla. - Rogers State couldn't keep the Southern Nazarene offense down as the Crimson Storm scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to net an 18-15 victory Thursday at the Cypert Athletic Complex in Bethany.
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Nick Spears cranked a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to break a 15-15 tie and give SNU the win in the series opener. The homer was the seventh long ball of the game and capped off a wild back-and-forth offensive showcase.
The Storm finished with 25 hits against a trio of Hillcat pitchers. Spears slugged two home runs while Chase Roten, Matt Powell and Derek Brewer also went deep for SNU. Despite all the fireworks, the Hillcats held a three-run lead entering the bottom of the eighth inning.
RSU rallied from six runs down to take the lead in the top of the sixth. The Cats drew to within one run in the top of the fifth by scoring five runs on just two hits. Three SNU errors aided the effort while Zach Hamby and Ryan Littlejohn laced run-scoring singles in the inning. An RBI single by Hamby and a two-run homer by Joe Manbodh in the sixth gave RSU a 9-6 advantage.
SNU tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, but the Hillcats came right back with six runs in the top of the seventh. Brandon Denton roped a two-run single and Hamby added a three-run homer to centerfield to make it 15-10. The Crimson Storm cut the lead to three with two runs in the bottom of the seventh and then dealt the decisive blow in the eighth.
Reliever Josh Walker surrendered a two-run homer to Brewer that cut the lead to one and was then chased from the game after giving up a one-out single to Alex Rehnstrom. Chase Glaum followed with a sacrifice fly off of Curt Simpson that scored Rehnstrom with the tying run. Simpson yielded two singles before Spears belted the game-winning homer. Simpson (1-1) was tagged with the loss after giving up the final three runs of the game.
Powell, Sam Mercado and Taylor Prudhomme had four hits apiece for the Storm. Hamby led RSU with three hits and six RBI. The Hillcats scored 15 runs despite tallying only eight hits in the contest.
Rogers State (24-14, 9-10) and Southern Nazarene will complete the three-game series with a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at the Hillcat Complex in Claremore. First-pitch is slated for 1 p.m. and the games will be carried live on RSU Radio 91.3 FM.
