CLAREMORE, Okla. – Behind a three-RBI debut from
Samuel Davison, the Rogers State baseball team opened the 2016 season with a 12-3 victory over Hillsdale Free Will Baptist Thursday afternoon at the Diamond Sports Complex.
Davison went 3-for-4 at the plate and was aided offensively by multi-hit games from three other players as the Hillcats registered 14 hits on the day.
Starting pitcher
Michael Fusselman didn't need much support cruising through the early innings retiring the first nine batters allowing the offense to take control of the game.
The Hillcats broke through right away in the bottom of the first inning putting up three runs on two hits, while capitalizing on a pair of walks to start the frame.
Jordan Garr and
Caleb Kohlmeyer walked and
Cesar Rodriguez drove in the first run of the season sending a sacrifice fly into right.
Zack Ashford doubled the lead ripping a double into the gap in deep right center field and Davison added an RBI single for the 3-0 RSU advantage.
The lead stretched to 5-0 as
Chris Miguel drove home Rodriguez, who opened the third frame doubling into left. Davison tallied his second run-scoring single of the afternoon plating Miguel.
The Saints put their first runner on base starting the fourth inning, but the Hillcats and Fusselman escaped a two-runner jam unscathed. With two runners on base in the fifth, HFWB again could not score as reliever
Landon Nealon forced a groundout to end the threat.
The home side continued to tack on runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings as Rodriguez scored pinch runner
Cameron Kirk in the sixth, while
Jason Marley and Garr added RBI hits in the seventh.
RSU posted a four-run eighth to take command of the scoreboard and despite a couple last-inning runs, closed out the season-opening victory, 12-3. Fusselman picked up the win for the Hillcats allowing two hits in 4.2 innings and Ashford scored a game-high three runs for the Cats.
RSU continues the series Friday afternoon with a doubleheader against HFWB. Game one is slated to begin at 1 p.m. at the Diamond Sports Complex with live audio, video, and stats on the Hillcat Network at
www.rsuhillcats.com/live.
