CLAREMORE, Okla. - The Rogers State baseball team's comeback bid fell short in consecutive games Friday night as Texas-Permian Basin registered the doubleheader sweep at the Diamond Sports Complex.
 
The Hillcats battled back into the game in the bottom of the seventh in the opener, trailing by seven to start the inning and brought the tying run to the plate, but the rally fell short as the Hillcats took an 8-6 loss.  
 
GAME ONE
 
Trailing 8-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth, RSU started the comeback with three-consecutive walks to load the bases. Cesar Rodriguez pushed Alex Cochran across home plate with a single to left-center and Andrew Vanisi followed with a triple ripped to the right-center field gap to bring in a trio of runs. Vanisi reached home on a sacrifice fly by Trae BoBo to cut the deficit to 8-6 and RSU brought the tying run to the plate, but the Hillcats were unable to even the score.
 
The Hillcats dug a deep hole for themselves in the first two frames, giving up the go ahead run in the top of the first before allowing five runs on five hits while committing two errors in the top of the second.
 
RSU notched its first run on the scoreboard in the in the fifth as the Hillcats scored with the help of a UTPB error with two outs.
 
The run was erased in the top of the sixth as the Falcons scored a pair of runs on two hits.
 
Matthew Sheppard (2-5) suffered the loss, lasting 1.2 innings. The junior hurler gave up six runs, two earned, on eight hits.
 
Lance Fairchild (4-2) earned the win on the mound for UTPB, allowing one unearned run on four hits with four strikeouts.
 
Vanisi and Garrett Hall led the RSU offense with two hits apiece.
 
GAME TWO
 
The Falcons jumped out to an early one-run advantage in the nightcap with a RBI double by David Lee in the bottom of the first.
 
Neither team could find a way to plate a run over the next six innings. RSU ran into trouble in four of the six innings, but found a way to escape unscathed until the top of eighth when the Falcons made it a 3-0 game behind Daniel Andrade's two-RBI triple in the left-center field gap.
 
RSU erased one of the runs in the bottom of the frame with a RBI ground out by BoBo that drove in Vanisi, who doubled earlier in the inning. The Hillcats couldn't get a rally started in the ninth, suffering the loss.
 
Michael Fusselman (2-5) took the loss despite a great outing, tossing 7.2 innings where he allowed three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts.
 
Brad Paramapoonya (6-1) earned the win, tossing 6.2 scoreless innings while Nolan Schattel earned his sixth save of the year, closing out the ninth.
 
Rogers State (12-22, 3-14 HC) will complete the three-game series against the Falcons on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Hillcats will host Roosa Elementary Day at the ballpark during the game with an autograph session at 12:20 p.m. and kids can run the bases after the game. The finale can be viewed on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.