CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State softball team swept a non-conference doubleheader against Drury Wednesday afternoon at the Diamond Sports Complex, 7-3 and 6-4.
 
Stephanie Schivally was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate and three other players recorded three hits in the pair of home victories.
 
GAME ONE
The Hillcats turned a four-run first inning into a 7-3 victory in the opening game against the Panthers aided by 11 runners left on base for the visitors.
 
Katelyn Gamble led the high-scoring first with a single and later scored on a single off the bat of Morgen Blanchard for an early 1-0 advantage. Schivally added an RBI single plating Katlin Alexander before Taylor Santistevan broke the inning open driving a two-run single into left for a 4-0 lead.
 
RSU escaped a bases-loaded jam for Drury in the second as reliever Mayra Helguera forced a line out, but the Panthers struck for a run in the third cutting into the deficit, 4-1.
 
Schivally started the bottom of the fourth tallying her second single of the game and exited for pinch runner Randye Sharp. Jamie Kowalick stepped to the plate and extended the RSU margin hitting an RBI single into center. Following a bunt single by Gamble, Ashleigh Stidman dropped a run-scoring single to center and Blanchard added a sacrifice bunt to plate the seventh Hillcat run of the contest.
 
The Panthers started a two-out rally in the fifth posting two runs on a single by Abbey LeJong, but stranded two base runners in the inning and left two more on base in the sixth as RSU held on for the 7-3 victory in the opener.
 
Helguera picked up the win in the circle for RSU throwing 3.1 innings for her first win in the navy and red, while Jessica Christian shut down Drury over the final two innings allowing just one hit.
 
GAME TWO
RSU broke a 4-4 tie with two outs in the bottom of the sixth tallying two runs, including the go-ahead score on a double by Blanchard, for a 6-4 win to sweep the twin bill.
 
The Panthers scored a run in the first and again in the second taking a quick 2-0 lead looking for the split, but the Hillcats answered back scoring in each of the next three innings to take a 4-2 lead.
 
Schivally dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt to plate pinch runner Sharp in the second. Arika Araujo made three spectacular defensive plays for the Cats in the top of the third recording all three outs from her spot at third base allowing the offense to carry the momentum into the bottom half of the frame. Kowalick and Stidman launched back-to-back triples to the fence in right opening the third to even the score, 2-2.
 
The RSU lead was pushed to 4-2 in the fourth as Santistevan provided an RBI single with the bases loaded bringing another pinch runner, Ashley Williams, home. Stidman came through with her second RBI of the game ripping a single back up the middle to plate Malori Moss for the two-run edge, but left three runners on base with a chance to tear the game open.
 
Drury fought its way back into the contest using a lead-off home run by Kaelie Smith in the fifth before tying the score, 4-4, scoring an unearned run on a passed ball.
 
Despite allowing the Panthers back into the game, the Hillcats remained poised in the fifth inning, only to leave the bases loaded for the second-straight frame. RSU continued to press offensively and used a two-out rally to plate the eventual winning run in the sixth. Gamble beat out an infield single and Blanchard followed by blasting her team-leading 14th double of the season sending the speedy freshman home from first base. Alexander tacked on an insurance run scoring Blanchard on a single as the Cats closed out the non-conference sweep, 6-4.
 
Rachel Jones earned the win in game two, improving to 5-5 on the season, throwing 4.2 innings allowing two runs, one earned, with two strike outs.
 
RSU (10-18 overall) returns to Heartland Conference action over the weekend hosting Texas-Permian Basin for a three-game series scheduled to start March 18 at 3 p.m. Follow all the action live on the Hillcat Network at www.rsuhillcats.com/live.