CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State baseball team remained unbeaten at home (6-0) on the young season with a doubleheader sweep of Ecclesia College on Saturday afternoon at the Diamond Sports Complex.
In game one, the Hillcats earned a 7-0 victory with three pitchers combining for the shutout. Rogers State won game two 6-1 with seven different players getting a hit.
GAME ONE
After senior pitcher Jesus Del Rosario got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first inning, RSU capitalized off two costly Ecclesia errors to take a 5-0 lead in the home half.
Eric Baker led off with a single and then promptly stole second base, his team-leading fifth of the season. One batter later, Jose Olazagasti hit a line drive that the leftfielder overran, allowing Baker to score on the error.
Colton Campbell followed with a double down the leftfield line to score Olazagasti.
After advancing to third on a passed ball, Campbell came home to score on sacrifice fly by Tyler Wheeler.
Following a walk to Cody Campbell and a double by Emmanuel De La Cruz, Keith Poverud hit a high pop up that the second baseman appeared to lose in the sun. The error allowed Campbell and Alex Cochran, who was courtesy running for De La Cruz, to score and give RSU a 5-0 lead.
The Hillcats increased their lead to 6-0 in the third when Colton Campbell doubled and later came home on a wild pitch.
RSU rounded out the scoring in the fourth when Blake Heston led off with a single, moved to third on a base hit by Baker and scored on a sacrifice fly from Nick Malter.
Del Rosario (2-1), making his fifth appearance of the season but first as a starter, surrendered two hits and three walks with four strikeouts in four innings of work.
Mason Marquette pitched two scoreless innings while Colton Weeks pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to seal the victory for the Hillcats.
GAME TWO
Marcus Davie scored on a single by Yohan Melendez to give Ecclesia a run in the top of the first but RSU went on to score six unanswered to take game two.
Baker and Colton Campbell got base hits in the bottom of the first to give the Hillcats runners on the corners with one out. With Wheeler at the plate, Campbell took off for second. On cue with the catcher's throw to second, Baker raced home to tie the game at 1-1.
Nick Malter was hit by a pitch to lead off the second before Johan Ochoa followed with a single. After a sacrifice bunt by McKenzie Mathews advanced both runners, Malter came home on a wild pitch. Ochoa later scored on a sacrifice fly from Baker to up the lead to 3-1.
Heston led off the fifth with a triple and Colton Campbell followed with a walk. Consecutive RBI singles by Wheeler, Ramcy Lora and Nick Malter rounded out the scoring for RSU.
Senior Casey Cassity was the game two starter, going three innings and giving up three hits with two strikeouts.
T.J. Law (1-0), Zach Tyson, Kyle Deaton and Drew Anthony all added a scoreless frame for the Hillcats.
Rogers State (12-3) returns to action at the Diamond Sports Complex against Oklahoma Christian on Monday at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.
