CLAREMORE, Okla.- After falling in the opening game of the doubleheader, the Roger State baseball team rallied in the nightcap to defeat the University of Science and Arts in extra innings at Hillcat Complex on Sunday afternoon.
The Drovers used a big third inning to propel them to an 8-3 victory in the twin bill opener. It took extra innings to decide the winner of game two as the Hillcats walked-off with the 3-2 win in the bottom of the eighth. With the game two win, RSU registered the series victory as the Cats defeated the Drovers 15-3 in the series opener on Saturday in Chickasha, Okla.
GAME ONE
The Drovers opened the game with a run thanks to the help of an RSU error. However, RSU matched USAO in the bottom of the inning as the Hillcats plated a run on two Drover errors.
After a scoreless second inning, the Drovers strung together four hits to plate four runs in the third inning and held onto the advantage the rest of the way. The Hillcats got a run back in the fourth as Hamilton Hernandez scored on a wild pitch by Seth Sturgeon.
Chance Hill doubled down the right field line to send Austin Ardrey home and push the Drover lead to 6-2 in the top of the fifth. Colton Campbell led off the bottom of the inning with a walk and catcher Lance Rymel single to put runners on first and second. Colton Campbell advanced to third on a fly out by Cody Campbell. With runners on first and third, the Hillcats used a double steal by courtesy runner Taylor Estes and Colton Campbell to score the lone run of the inning as RSU trailed 6-3.
The Drovers sealed the win in the top of the seventh. Brandon Jewett led off the inning with a single and the Hillcats brought Freddy Soto in to replace Brandon Bargas. Soto struggled in the outing, throwing a pair of wild pitches and issuing a walk to give the Drovers runners on first and third with no outs. Newt Compton followed with a RBI single up the middle. Soto then balked to put runners on second and third as sophomore Mason Marquette relieved Soto. Marquette retired the next three hitters, although Blake Taylor earned a RBI on a sacrifice fly.
Josh Goodman closed out the game on the mound for the Drovers as he faced the minimum and secured the 8-3 win. Seth Sturgeon (3-0) earned the win on the mound for USAO as he allowed two unearned runs on three hits with four strikeouts. The junior right-handed hurler left the game prior to the fifth inning as he suffered an injury while warming up.
Brandon Bargas (2-2) suffer the loss on the mound as he tossed six innings and allowed seven runs, five earned, on seven hits with seven strikeouts.
The Hillcats left eight runners on base in the opener and managed just five hits while committing two errors.
GAME TWO
The nightcap turned into a pitcher's duel as the Hillcats came out on top with a complete game extra innings victory by junior Kyle Duncan. The right-handed pitcher tossed eight innings, allowing two runs on six hits with three strikeouts while issuing no walks.
USAO struck first, using small ball to plate one run in the top of the third inning. Romus Cezar led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a stolen base. Konrad Mueller put Cezar on third with a sacrifice bunt and Jared Coon sent him home with a sacrifice fly to left field.
The Hillcats knotted the score in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff home run by Rymel. It was the Broken Arrow, Okla. native's second homer of the season.
Coon hit a one-out double off the wall in center field and scored on a two-out single through the left side of the infield by Jewett to give the Drovers the lead.
The Hillcats tied the game in the top of the seventh with a leadoff homer by Randy Ramirez. McKewon followed with a single to center field. Keith Poverud followed with a sacrifice bunt sending McKewon to second. Bargas lined out to right field to put the game-winning run on third. Baker drilled a ball to right field but Compton snagged it and sent the game to extra innings.
RSU held the Drovers scoreless in the top of the eighth. Rivera led off the bottom of the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Colton Campbell. Rivera advanced to third on a wild throw by Josh Goodman and scored the winning run on a wild throw by the catcher.
Eddie Cervantes (1-5) suffered the loss as he tossed seven innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on seven hits.
Rogers State (27-8, 10-7) will return to action on Tuesday as the Cats travel to Oklahoma Christian for a single nine inning contest at 6 p.m.
