CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State Baseball picked up a doubleheader split with St. Edward's in Heartland Conference play Friday afternoon at the Diamond Sports Complex, falling 5-1 in game one before winning game two 3-2.
St. Edward's jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, scoring three runs on
Corey Murphy to take a lead it didn't relinquish. The Hilltoppers strung together five hits in the opening frame, scoring the first run on a wild pitch before adding a pair of RBI singles.
Rogers State would get a run back in the bottom of the first. After an error and a walk to load the bases,
Grant Farris took the final 90 feet on a wild pitch, scoring the only run of the game for the Hillcats, who were limited to just three hits.
Murphy would settle into the game pitching scoreless innings in the second and third, but an error allowed a run to come across for the visitors in the fourth and they would add one more in the fifth.
Farris finished with one hit, while
Brandon Bradshaw had the other two hits for Rogers State.
In game two, the Hillcat bats came alive as Rogers State recorded five hits and benefited from four errors for St. Edward's.
The Hillcats took the lead in the bottom of the first as
Christian Merriwether scored on a sacrifice fly from Bradshaw.
After St. Edward answered back with a run in the fourth, Rogers State quickly went back in front in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single from
Brendan Griffith as
Nick Follett came around to score.
The visitors would answer back in the fifth, loading the bases before bringing a run across on a hit by pitch.
The Hillcats would take the lead back for good in the bottom of the sixth inning as Griffith reached on a throwing error that allowed Follett to score from second.
Jackson Simonsgaard would add one more scoreless inning in the seventh, as he finished with two runs against on six hits and a walk. Simonsgaard earned his fifth win of the season, recording three strikeouts in the game.
Sean Robinson added a scoreless eighth inning before
Brock Knoten earned his sixth save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.
The rubber match of the series is set for a noon start on Saturday at the Diamond Sports Complex.
