FORT SMITH, Ark. – Rogers State baseball dropped the final two games of a four-game nonconference series at UA Fort Smith on Friday (March 9) at Crowder Field. The Lions (10-5) used a walk-off home run in game one to win 3-0 and scored six early runs en route to the 13-7 victory in game two.
 
The Lions (10-5) took the four-game series after splitting yesterday's doubleheader with the Hillcats (11-6).
 
UAFS 3, RSU 0
 
With two on and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Jace Pitchford of UAFS hit a three-run home run to right field to give the Lions the walk-off 3-0 victory in game one.
 
The Hillcats had an opportunity to take a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning after Bradley Degnan doubled to right to start the inning. Derek Brumble advanced Degnan to third on a sac bunt, but Degnan was thrown out at home after the UAFS pitcher made a play on a ball hit by Chris Nakashima and the catcher applied the tag for the out.
 
RSU put runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings, but couldn't score the go-ahead run in the close loss.
 
Tim Luce earned the start and went the full 6.2 innings. The senior totaled six strikeouts and allowed the three runs on the walk-off home run.
 
Degnan went 2-for-3 at the plate.  
 
The Lions' starting pitcher Jordan Lawrence allowed only four hits in 7.0 innings with three strikeouts to move to 2-0 on the season.
 
UAFS 13, RSU 6
 
UAFS plated six runs in the first and added runs in the next four innings to build an 11-4 advantage and went on to win 13-7 in game two to take the four-game series.
 
A two-run home run started the scoring and two more runs scored on a triple for a 4-0 edge. Two RBI singles made it 6-0 after one inning.
 
Degnan put the Cats on the board with a solo home run in the second inning for a 6-1 score.
 
The Lions added two runs in the second inning due to a wild pitch and fielder's choice to up the lead to 8-1.
 
In the third inning, Grant Farris singled to plate Blake Chiaramonte. After runs from the Lions in the third and fourth innings, Brooks Douglass homered to left in the fifth. Christopher Ford added another Hillcat run with an RBI single to right for a 10-4 margin.
 
Ford wasn't done as he hit a three-run homer to left in the seventh inning for an 11-7 mark. UAFS registered two runs in the eighth for the 13-7 final tally.
 
Brumble finished 3-for-5 with one run scored. Ford was 2-for-4 with four RBI. The Hillcats totaled 14 hits in game two.
 
The Lions posted 20 hits with every player in their lineup tallying a hit, including eight Lions with multi-hits.
 
Brock Knoten started in game two. Preston Whitten, Landon Nealon, Sean Robinson and Joey Lucas all made relief appearances in the nine-inning game.  
 
The Hillcats are back in action on Tuesday (March 13) at Northeastern State at 2 p.m. in Tahlequah, Okla. Live stats and audio will be available for the single nine-inning game.