CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State baseball team closed the 2016 season with an 8-0 shutout of Oklahoma Panhandle State Saturday afternoon at the Diamond Sports Complex.
 
The Hillcats scored in each of the first four innings for a commanding lead and never looked back holding the Aggies to just one run in 25 innings of play during a three-game sweep.
 
Colton Crocker continued his hot streak leading the game with a double into left center before Chris Miguel quickly gave the Cats an early lead in the first. The junior sent a high blast into the bleachers of left field for his ninth home run of the season and a 2-0 RSU advantage.
 
Garrett Hall followed suit opening the bottom of the second as the sophomore hammered his first-collegiate home run into left pushing the margin to 3-0. Hall added to the lead in the third delivering a two-run single up the middle plating Miguel and Jason Marley for a 5-0 edge.
 
RSU struck for another two-run inning in the fourth as Cesar Rodriguez and Miguel came through with back-to-back, RBI singles. The hits brought home Danny Donoghue and Caleb Kohlmeyer, who each had singles earlier in the frame, as the Hillcats moved ahead 7-0. Crocker scored an unearned run in the sixth as the margin moved to 8-0 and RSU closed out the senior-day shutout.
 
Tyler Kruse (5-5) picked up the win for RSU throwing six innings, allowing just two hits, and having only one base runner reach third base. The junior struck out five before giving way to the bullpen as Zach Tyson, Andrew Lucio, and Landon Nealon combined to surrender three hits and complete the win.
 
Miguel reached base five times for the afternoon going 3-for-3 at the plate and was hit by a pitch twice tallying three RBI. Hall matched his elder teammate's three RBI and was 2-for-4, while Crocker finished hitting 2-for-3.
 
The Hillcats closed the 2016 season with a record of 28-22 overall for their first winning season since 2013 and posted a 13-14 mark in Heartland Conference action finishing tied for sixth in the league standings.
 
Saturday marked the final collegiate game in the career of six RSU seniors as Zack Ashford, Cole Chandler, Michael Fusselman, Caleb Kohlmeyer, Cesar Rodriguez, and Zach Tyson wore the navy and red for the final time.