SHAWNEE, Okla. - No. 11 Rogers State baseball got behind quickly and couldn't get the bats to ignite as No. 5 Oklahoma Baptist run-ruled the Hillcats, 14-4, in Shawnee, Okla. Thursday evening.
OBU jumped to an early lead in the first inning as Terrence Buchanan scored from first on a Hillcat error. Brenden Davis singled to the hole at second base to score Anthony Lopez. The Bison rounded out the scoring with a two-run homerun by Alan Trayler giving the home squad a 4-0 lead after the first.
The second inning didn't fare any better for the Diamond Cats as Jonathan Gelpi hit a 2-2 pitch over the leftfield wall. Lopez kept the home runs coming with a two-run shot of his own scoring Buchanan. Davis delivered a solo blast to put OBU up 8-0 after the first two stanzas.
RSU responded in the top of the fourth as Colton West scored from third on a Cody Campbell ground out. The Bison answered putting three more runs up in the home half of the inning and building an 11-1 lead.
The Hillcats scored another run in the fifth on a single by Lance Rymel to left field to advance Kevin Radford to third. The Tulsa, Okla. native scored from the corner on a bobbled ball trimming the Bison lead to nine runs.
Randy Ramirez hit a solo shot to left field to lead off the sixth inning and two batters later Cody Campbell blasted one of his own over the centerfield fence to give the Cats what would be their final runs of the day.
OBU put another run up in the bottom of the sixth off a Michael Sliger home run to left to put the score at 12-4. A passed ball scored Buchanan in the seventh and a wild pitch by RSU with the bases loaded scored Lopez to close the game.
Oklahoma Baptist (29-7, 13-3) claimed the first game of the three-game series with the Hillcats. Richie Mirowski (8-1) went the complete seven innings giving up four runs on eight hits striking out 10 and walking just one.
Grant Cosby (4-1) received the loss going four innings giving up 11 runs, seven earned on 15 hits and striking out three. Jacob Wenaas went two innings in relief giving up one run on one hit walking three and striking out one. In all, the Hillcats walked seven batters while allowing 16 hits and gave up two errors.
Rogers State (31-9, 12-7) heads back to Claremore for a double-header finale at Hillcat Complex vs. Oklahoma Baptist with first pitch set for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
