CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State baseball team belted 25 hits during a doubleheader split against Southern Nazarene falling 5-4 in 10 innings before a dominating 13-4 victory in game two at the Diamond Sports Complex Tuesday.
 
Eight different players record multi-hit efforts on the day led by four hits apiece from Jordan Garr, Ismael Orozco, and Jason Marley. Orozco posted four RBI in game two on a 3-for-3 effort at the plate.
 
GAME ONE
The opening game of the doubleheader was a back-and-forth affair that the Crimson Storm rallied back to win in the third extra inning, 5-4.
 
Garr led the game for the Hillcats driving the first pitch offered into left center for a lead-off double. The junior moved to third on a fly ball before scoring on a RBI groundout from Cesar Rodriguez for a quick 1-0 lead.
 
The margin did not last long as Tyler Stevens of the Crimson Storm sent the second pitch in the top of the second over the right-field fence evening the score 1-1. It was the first blemish against RSU starting pitcher Cole Chandler, who had a quality effort striking out six in four innings of work allowing three hits.
 
SNU broke the deadlock in the fourth getting back-to-back singles to start the frame and a hit-by-pitch followed to load the bases. The Crimson Storm took a 2-1 advantage behind a sacrifice fly.
 
A walk to Orozco opening the bottom of the fourth helped the Hillcats regain the edge scoring twice in the inning. Marley delivered a two-run blast into right center for his third round tripper of the season giving RSU a 3-2 lead.
 
The Crimson Storm answered right back in the fifth plating a pair against the Hillcats' bullpen for a one-run cushion. RSU scored the tying run in the exact same fashion as the first with Garr coming home on a groundout from Rodriguez and the game headed into extra innings.
 
The Hillcats loaded the bases looking for the winning run in the eighth, but left all three runners on base and SNU went on for the winning run in the 10th capitalizing on a pair of walks for the 5-4 win.
 
GAME TWO
RSU turned an early deficit into a commanding 13-4 win in the night cap to earn the split tallying 11 unanswered runs.
 
After the Cats struck for a 1-0 advantage in the second, SNU hit a three-run home run in the third, again off the bat of Stevens, moving ahead, 3-1.
 
A four-run bottom of the third and a six-run fourth broke the game open for RSU behind 11 hits in the two innings. Orozco ripped a double scoring two in the fourth and followed in the fifth hitting a two-RBI single. Samuel Davison added a two-run single up the middle as the Hillcats jumped in front, 11-3.
 
The Crimson Storm got one run back off the RSU bullpen in the sixth, but the Hillcats matched the run in the bottom half of the frame as Kohlmeyer brought home Garrett Hall on a RBI groundout before Brooks Owen retired SNU in order aided by a perfect double play from Danny Donoghue and Orozco in the seventh for the 13-4 victory.
 
Zach Tyson made the most of his first start in 2016 throwing five innings allowing three hits and three runs for the win on the mound.
 
The Hillcats are back to Heartland Conference action on the road in Odessa, Texas facing Texas-Permian Basin April 15-16.