CLAREMORE, Okla.- The Rogers State softball team tallied its first doubleheader sweep of the season with a pair of non-conference victories over Missouri Southern State University on Wednesday evening at the Diamond Sports Complex.

The Hillcats pounded out a season-high 14 hits en route to a 9-1 short-game victory over the Lions. In the night cap, RSU tallied one run in the second and held on for the 1-0 victory.   

GAME ONE

All nine Hillcats tallied one or more hits as RSU plated at least one run in all six innings, helping the Cats to the run-rule victory. The Hillcats jumped out to an early 1-0 lead as senior Candace Monigold belted a two-out double off the wall in left-center field and scored on single dropped in to shallow right field by Taran Threet.

In the second, RSU doubled its lead as Yolanda Rios led off with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kelby Fritz. The senior moved to third on a single by Jackie Flores and scored on a two-out single slapped to left field by Jamie Kowalick.

Candace Monigold started the third inning with a bunt single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Taran Threet. Carley Conley drove Monigold in with a double in the left-center field gap. Fritz registered a RBI singled up the middle to give RSU a 4-0 lead. Monigold blasted her fifth home run of the season in the fourth increasing the advantage to 6-0.

The Lions dented the scoreboard in the fifth with a RBI single by Rachel Harding. RSU answered in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run by Rios, her first of the year.

In the sixth, Monigold and Conley each tallied RBI doubles to end the game in the sixth with a 9-1 win.

Rios allowed just three hits and one run with a career-high 13 strikeouts. The senior struck out the side twice in the contest and also helped her own cause on offense, going 1-for-2 with one RBI and two runs scored.

Monigold led the Hillcats, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs and four runs scored.

GAME TWO

Despite leaving five runners stranded in the finale, RSU edged the Lions 1-0.

The lone run of the contest came in the second inning as McKenzie Kirk threaded a single up the middle to send Flores home.

In the sixth, MSSU threatened with runners on first and third but the Hillcats got out of the jam as Rios struck out Shelby Romines to end the inning.

Rios tallied her first save of the season, tossing the final two innings with four strikeouts, allowing just two hits. Freshman Brooklyne Harbert registered the win, tossing five scoreless innings, allowing three hits with one strikeout.

Rogers State (6-20) returns to the diamond on Friday as the Hillcats host St. Edwards in Heartland Conference action. First pitch for the doubleheader is slated for 4 p.m. The game will be streamed live on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.