CLEBURNE, Texas – The Rogers State Baseball team opened up the 2020 season with a 5-0 victory over the University of Mary on Friday at The Depot at Cleburne Station.
Jackson Simonsgaard threw a six inning gem for the Hillcats (1-0), who tossed a team shutout to open up play at the Alpine Fresh 4-Him Classic.
How It Happened: The Hillcats jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning. After
Christian Merriwether recorded a leadoff walk,
Mason Harvey reached on a single.
Two batters later, the duo executed a double steal to put both in scoring position. In the same at bat, Merriwether would score on a wild pitch to put the Hillcats in front and Harvey would cross home plate to double the lead on another wild pitch.
The lead would be all that Simonsgaard would need as the left hander allowed just a pair of baserunners in the first four innings, including a pair of 1-2-3 innings.
The senior would record at least one strikeout in each inning and had four innings with a pair of strikeouts. Simonsgaard also chipped in defensively, snagging a comeback shot up the middle and turned it into a 1-4-3 double play in the sixth inning.
The Hillcats would show two-out plate discipline in the second inning, as
Victor Ceniceros, Merriwether, Harvey and
Nick Follett all drew walks that would bring around Ceniceros for the third run of the game.
The Hillcats would be held scoreless through the next three innings before Follett drove in two more runs with a one-out single up the middle to score Merriwether and Ceniceros, who reached on a hit and an error, respectively.
CJ Edwards would pitch the seventh and eighth innings for the Hillcats before
Case Woodard pitched a scoreless ninth. Both pitchers recorded a pair of strikeouts in the outing.
Players of Note: Simonsgaard finished with 10 strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. He allowed just five hits and one walk from the Marauders (0-2).
Follett picked up right where he left off the 2019 season, recording a pair of hits and a walk to drive in three runs.
Jonathan Soto started off his Hillcat career with two hits and a walk. He also had a stolen base.
Merriwether reached base three times on a pair of walks and a single. The senior centerfielder scored two runs and had three putouts defensively.
After missing a majority of the 2019 season, Harvey returned to the lineup for the Hillcats and had a hit, walk and run scored.
Key Statistic: The Hillcat pitching staff allowed just two walks in the contest, while Marauders pitchers walked nine Hillcats.
Notes: The Hillcat pitching staff combined to throw 14 strikeouts in the game. It is the first time that the Hillcats tossed 14+ strikeouts since April 12, 2016 against Southern Nazarene when the Hillcats tossed 14 in a 10 inning game. The last time the Hillcats had at least 14 strikeouts in a nine-inning game came on May 2, 2015 with 14 at Oklahoma Panhandle State.
Rogers State extended its win streak in season openers to 11 games, with the last loss in an opener coming in the 2009 season. The Hillcats improved to 12-3 all time in season openers.
Friday's game was the first-ever regular season contest for the Hillcats in the month of January.
The victory for Rogers State comes at the same stadium where the Hillcats lifted the 2019 Heartland Conference Tournament Championship trophy last season on May 11, 2019.
What It Means: The victory keeps the Hillcats in contention for the No. 1 seed in their side of the bracket for the Alpine Fresh 4-Him Classic. The Hillcats sit at 1-0, while Colorado Christian is 2-0, Southern Nazarene is 0-1 and Mary is 0-2. Following Saturday's games and the conclusion of round-robin play, teams will be matched up with their respective seed from the other pool of teams for their finales on Sunday.
Up Next: The Hillcats will take on Southern Nazarene and Colorado Christian in a doubleheader on Saturday. Rogers State will face Southern Nazarene first, with a first pitch set for 4 p.m. The Hillcats will then face Colorado Christian at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be played at The Depot at Cleburne Station.
