MUSKOGEE, Okla. – The No. 19 Rogers State baseball team went the distance with junior pitcher Casey Cassity to register the 3-2 victory over Bacone College Tuesday afternoon at Warrior Field.
Cassity (1-0) pitched the complete nine-inning, game striking out 10 batters with no walks and no earned runs to earn the win. In his first start of the season, the Barnsdall, Okla. native gave up just six hits as he faced 32 batters with seven ground outs and four fly outs.
The Hillcats scored the first run of the game in the top of the third inning. Emmanuel De La Cruz reached first on a hit by pitch. He advanced to third on a double by Eric Baker and was batted in on a RBI sac-fly by Hector Rivera to put the Cats up 1-0.
RSU gave the run back in the bottom half of the inning as a strike three swinging put Cody McBride at first on a missed catch error by the first baseman. The Warriors moved McBride over on a sac-bunt and an RBI single by Enrique Meza sent McBride home from second to tie the contest at one run apiece after three.
Blake Heston walked to lead off the fifth inning and advanced to third on a single by Eric Baker to shallow right field. Heston scored on a deep, RBI sac-fly to leftfield by Rivera to put the Cats up 2-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth.
The Warriors were able to respond with the help of RSU, as the Hillcats committed three errors in the game including two in the fifth inning. Meza reached on a misplayed grounder and advanced on a wild throw to second on a pick-off play gone awry. Meza eventually scored on a single to shallow right field by Casey Gillespie.
Third baseman Cade McKewon doubled down the leftfield line with one out in the sixth. The senior from Inola, Okla. scored on an RBI single up the middle of the field by Keith Poverud for the go-ahead run.
Cassity punched out four batters and allowed just one hit in the final four innings to hold off a comeback by the Warriors.
Johnson Kiska (0-1) received the loss going five innings giving up one earned run on four hits. Bacone (7-5) totaled six hits and committed just one error in the two hour and one minute game.
Hector Rivera went 1-for-1 with two RBI while Cade McKewon went 2-for-3 and scored a run as the Hillcats finished with seven hits on the afternoon. Batting leadoff for RSU, Eric Baker went 3-for-4 including a walk.
Rogers State (14-1) will travel to Wayland Baptist for a three-game series starting Friday, Feb. 24 with a doubleheader in Plainview, Texas. First pitch is at 2 p.m.
