LUBBOCK, Texas - Rogers State baseball put its 18 game winning streak on the line Friday on the road against No. 5 Lubbock Christian at Hays Field.
The Hillcats were able to stretch its streak to 20 straight wins by knocking off LCU in the opening game 9-3. LCU responded in the second seven-inning contest of the day winning 11-4.
GAME ONE
Things started off strange for the opener of the double-header as Lubbock Christian's Paul Gonzalez faced one Hillcat batter before leaving the game due to injury. Lucas Whitmore entered the contest for LCU and closed out the first inning. In the bottom half of the inning the Chaps got on the board after a Richard Bohlken double scored Ryan Meade from second giving LCU the 1-0 lead.
The Chaparrals continued the run production in the bottom half of the second after a muffed throw scored courtesy runner Brent Leslie. Meade's sacrifice fly scored Nate Peterson giving the Chaps its first earned run of the game and the 3-0 lead after two innings.
Lance Rymel tied things up with one swing of the bat with a three-run home run putting the score at 3-3 in the middle of the fifth inning. The Hillcat scoring continued in the top of the sixth inning when Cade McKewon reached on an error and touched home after a two-run homer by Randy Ramirez. A two-run double by Jairo Valdez put the Hillcats up 7-3 but the Cats weren't done. Hamilton Hernandez, pinch running for Billy Balak, scored from third on an error by the LCU short stop giving RSU the 8-3 lead and six outs away from the victory.
McKewon doubled to start the top of the seventh and moved to third on a ground out by Colton West. A wild pitch by Whitmore scored McKewon putting RSU up 9-3 and needing three LCU outs in the bottom half of the inning.
Starter Tyler Garner (4-0) gave up one hit in the bottom of the seventh before forcing one batter into a ground out and striking out two to end the contest. Garner went the complete gaming giving up seven hits, one earned run, striking out six and walking one as he earned the win.
Whitmore (3-2) pitched a near complete game after relieving the injured Gonzalez after one out in the first inning. Whitmore struck out seven and walked four while giving up six hits and five earned runs.
GAME TWO
Randy Ramirez opened the second half of the double header with an RBI single to right field scoring leadoff batter Brandt Barnes giving RSU an early 1-0 lead after the top of the first.
The lead didn't last long as the Hillcats starter Casey Cassity walked his first two batters faced. Ryan Meade singled up the middle to score one run. Mike Marshall singled to left field to score two runners and stretch the lead to 3-1 for LCU with only one out in the bottom half of the first.
A three-run home run by catcher Dominic Piazza extended the Chaps lead to 6-1 and ended Cassity's day for the Diamond Cats. Tyler Brown took the mound for RSU and Ryan Burnaman tripled down the right field line scoring Austin Stewart putting LCU up 7-1 after the first.
LCU added to the lead in the second inning when Richard Bohlken hit a two-run home run and gave the Chaps a 9-1 lead after only two innings.
Burnaman tripled down the right field line to start the bottom of the fifth for LCU. Peterson quickly got the Chaps second baseman home with a sac-fly to center field and stretching the LCU lead to 10 runs.
RSU made a push in the sixth inning as Karson Robinson took the mound replacing Tyler Curtis for LCU. Robinson walked Kevin Radford and Keith Poverud to begin the inning. A single by Joe Manbodh scored Radford and a single by Valdez sent Poverud home. Barnes sac-fly to right field scored Manbodh and the Cats trimmed the LCU advantage to 10-4.
The Chaparrals added another run in the bottom of the sixth off a RBI single by Piazza scored Karl Seiter off RSU's Freddy Soto. Eric Faust relieved Soto and forced Stewart into a ground out to second.
Shane Ingram took the mound for the top of the seventh to shut the door on any rallying thoughts by the Hillcats. Ingram struck out the first two batters he faced in the inning before walking the third. He forced the fourth into a ground out and closed out the double-header with an 11-4 LCU victory.
Cassity (4-1) received the loss for the Hillcats after pitching two-third innings giving up seven earned runs on four hits and walking three while facing nine batters.
Tyler Curtis (2-0) earned the win for LCU going five innings striking out five and walking five. Curtis gave up one earned run on three hits.
Rogers State (20-2, 5-1) will look to win the series versus Lubbock Christian (17-5, 4-4) with a nine inning contest Friday, March 12 at Hays Field in Lubbock, Texas.
