CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Rogers State softball team ended the season with an 8-0 win to split the doubleheader with Oklahoma Christian on Senior Day at the Diamond Sports Complex on Friday.
The Hillcats (28-24. 6-15) scored four runs in the sixth inning to end the game with a walk-off squeeze bunt from senior
Ashley Williams for the 8-0 victory.
RSU dropped game one of the doubleheader, 7-2, to start the day.
Oklahoma Christian 7, Rogers State 2
RSU featured all nine seniors in the starting lineup in game one as
Harli Wheeler,
Morgen Blanchard,
Arika Araujo,
Courtney Davis,
Kayla Patterson,
Carson DuBose,
Kendra Linn,
Mayra Helguera and Williams earned starts in their final appearances of the season. The nine seniors were recognized between the two games.
To start the twin bill, the Eagles plated four runs in the third inning and added runs in the fifth and sixth innings for the 7-2 win.
The scoring started with four runs in the third, three of the runs coming on doubles to left field.
RSU plated its two runs when
Taylor Santistevan homered to left field, her eighth of the season, in the fourth inning for a 4-2 score.
After one run in the fifth on a groundout, the Eagles added two runs in the sixth, both unearned for the 7-2 margin.
Wheeler, Araujo, Santistevan, and
Kenzie Lloyd posted hits in game one.
Helguera started in the circle for the final time in the navy and red, going 2.2 innings.
Edie Fairchild came in for the final 4.1 innings. The two combined for 10 hits and only two earned runs.
Rogers State 8, Oklahoma Christian 0
The Hillcats poured on eight late runs to cruise to the 8-0 victory in the final game of the 2017 season.
Blanchard gave the Cats a 3-0 advantage in the third inning with a three-run homer, her team-leading 11th of the season, to left field.
In the fourth inning, the navy and red added one run.
Danelle Day and
Mikayla Waggnor registered back-to-back singles to center, and the bases were loaded after Davis was hit by a pitch. Wheeler plated Day from third with a single to left field for a 4-0 RSU lead.
The Hillcats ended the game with four runs in the sixth inning for an 8-0 final score due to the run rule. RSU started the inning with three straight hits. Day opened the frame with a double down the left field line, and Waggnor double to the gap in left to score DuBose, who was pinch running at second for Day. Patterson put runners at the corners with no outs with an infield single.
RSU's final three runs scored on three consecutive squeeze bunt plays.
Katelyn Gamble bunted to score Waggnor with a close play at home for a 6-0 edge. Wheeler bunted to bring in Patterson to make it 7-0, and Williams plated the final run to end the game with a bunt to score Gamble for the 8-0 advantage.
Blanchard finished 1-for-3 with three RBI on the home run. For the season, the senior infielder tallied 51 RBI, the second-highest total in RSU softball single season history. Her 11 home runs this season ranked fourth in a second season all-time.
Waggnor went 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored. Day was 2-for-3, and Lloyd registered a 2-for-3 performance with one run scored.
Fairchild picked up the win in the circle, pitching a four-hit shutout in 6.0 innings.
The Hillcats finish the 2017 season with a 28-24 overall record, an 11-win improvement from a season ago and the first winning record since 2013. The season included two eight-game winning streaks, the longest winning streaks since 2013.
