OKLAHOMA CITY – NAIA No. 1-ranked Oklahoma City celebrated it's Baseball Senior Day at Jim Wade Stadium Sunday with a doubleheader sweep of No. 23-ranked Rogers State as the Hillcats dropped the series three games to one in the final game of the regular season.
The Stars took game one, 3-1, holding the Hillcats to just three hits while a five-run first inning in the night cap proved to be too much to overcome for RSU as OCU was victorious, 6-3.
GAME ONE
The first game of the doubleheader Sunday was a pitching duel as Hillcat senior Brandon Bargas fanned eight batters but was outdone by the Stars' Shane Henderson. The OCU hurler earned the complete game victory with nine strikeouts allowing just three hits in the 3-1 win.
OCU tallied the first run of the game in the third inning as a leadoff hit-by-pitch was turned into a run with a RBI double to right center by Chris Munoz.
RSU knotted the score in the top of the fifth inning with a leadoff double by Emmanuel De La Cruz. Alex Cochran, pinch running for De La Cruz, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1.
The hometown Stars answered in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff homerun by Forrest Smith on a 1-2 count as OCU regained the one-run advantage. Jonathan Rodriguez sent a solo shot to right field to begin the home half of the sixth putting the score at its final mark of 3-1.
Bargas (7-5) received the loss allowing three earned runs on five hits as he totaled 81 pitches in six innings of work. Henderson (4-0) didn't issue a walk in the three-hit, seven inning complete game victory.
GAME TWO
In the nightcap the Stars converted six hits into five runs in the first inning for an early 5-0 lead. RSU earned its first run in the top of the third as Eric Baker led off with a double down the left field line. The Ft. Gibson, Okla. native advanced to third on a passed ball before a one-out single to right-center field by Jose Olazagasti plated Baker cutting the deficit to four runs.
Colton Campbell cut into the lead with a one-out, two-RBI homerun to left-center field trimmed the Stars lead to 5-3 in the fifth.
OCU stretched the lead back out to a three run advantage scoring on a wild pitch in the home half of the fifth putting the scoreboard at its final tally of 6-3.
Jesse Baird (2-2) received the loss in the start for the Hillcats as he allowed six earned runs in five innings of work. The Owasso High School product fanned five and gave up eight hits. Jesus Del Rosario pitched one inning of relief allowing just one hit and striking out two.
Ryan Gibson (4-2) received the win as he went five innings in the start. Gibson gave up three earned runs but struck out 10 Hillcat batters while allowing six hits.
Rogers State (31-20, 15-13) will return to action on Wednesday, May 1 in the first day of pool play in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament. Be sure to visit www.rsuhillcats.com for a full tournament schedule and more information on Hillcat Baseball.
