CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State baseball team claimed its first-ever Heartland Conference series with a 2-1 victory in the rubber game against the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Saturday at the Diamond Sports Complex.

The Hillcats struck for an early lead in the second inning as Nick Malter drew a lead-off walk before Johan Ochoa was hit by the next pitch. Ryan Hendricks followed with a sacrifice bunt and J.P. Seifried plated Malter with a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.

The offenses for both teams were held in check for the next four innings as RSU's Mason Marquette and Jordan Cordray of UAFS were locked in a pitcher's duel.

Blake Gipson provided an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth after a one-out single by Caleb Kohlmeyer off reliever Austin Duerr stretching the RSU advantage to 2-0.

Marquette ran into trouble in the seventh allowing hits to the first three batters before exiting for fellow left-hander Travis Teague with a 2-1 lead. Teague's first batter attempted a sacrifice bunt but the Claremore native threw out the runner advancing to third.

Alex Cochran came through with another defensive "web gem" preserving the Hillcats' one-run advantage making a diving catch in shallow right-center field and threw out the base runner back at second base ending the threat in the seventh.

Teague and RSU shut down the Lions over the final two innings clinching its first Heartland Conference series with a 2-1 victory. Marquette remains a perfect 4-0 this season scattering six hits and one run over six innings while Teague picked up his first career save throwing three perfect innings in relief.

The top four batters in the Hillcat lineup came through will all five hits led by two from Kohlmeyer, the only player for either squad with more than one hit in the game.

Cordray took the loss for UAFS going five innings allowing one run on just two hits while relievers Duerr and Collin Ogilve pitched a combined three innings.

Rogers State (9-6, 3-3 HC) returns to the diamond at Southern Nazarene Tuesday afternoon for a single game starting at 2 p.m.