OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Rogers State softball team swept the first two games of the Edmond Regional Festival II on Friday at Tom Heath Field on the campus of Oklahoma Christian.
 
The Hillcats (9-2) defeated Colorado-Colorado Springs in their first game, 14-6, in five innings and then knocked off previously undefeated and former Heartland Conference rival Lubbock Christian, 7-3, in their second game.
 
How It Happened (Game 1): The Hillcats would start the game off with a three-run first inning thanks to a triple from Danelle Day that would score Sabrina Anguiano, who was walked. A home run down the left field line from Elexis Watson would then score Day and give the Hillcats the three-run lead.
 
In the second inning, the Hillcats would score another three runs. Payton Sabolski would reach first after being walked and then Kimberli Presnell would get on first and advance Sabolski to second due to a fielding error by the Cougars (2-5). Anguiano would step up to the plate and hit her first home run of the season with a shot to left field to double the Hillcats lead to 6-0.
 
The Cougars would respond with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, large in part to an error from the Hillcats and then another run on a wild pitch.
 
In the third inning Mikayla Waggnor would hit a solo home run to left center for the only run of the inning for the Hillcats. The Cougars would once again match the Hillcats with a solo shot of their own to make the score 7-4 after three.
 
Presnell would start off the Hillcats in the fourth inning with a single and then would steal second to put a runner in scoring position. Anguiano would then get hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Rylee Delozier stepped up to the plate next to single through the right side to load up the bases for Rogers State.
 
Day then hit a double to right center to score Presnell and Anguiano while DeLozier advanced to third. A pair of walks from Watson and Tailee Redding would allow the Hillcats to score their 10^th run of the game.
 
The Cougars would score two runs in the fourth inning to make it a four-run game going into the fifth inning.
 
However, the Hillcats would score four runs in the fifth inning from back-to-back walks with the bases loaded and then a single from Redding with the bases loaded gave the Hillcats a 14-6 lead, which triggered the run-rule victory after the Cougars were held scoreless in the bottom of the fifth.  
 
How It Happened (Game 2): The game would remain scoreless until the third inning when Payton Stroud would double to left center and then advance to third on a ground out by Presnell. A wild pitch would then allow Stroud to score the opening run of the game.
 
After a scoreless bottom of the third inning for Lubbock (9-1), Watson would blast a solo home run to left field to give the Hillcats a two-run lead.
 
Lubbock Christian would come alive in the bottom of the fourth with three solo home runs, including back-to-back shots to take the lead from the Hillcats.
 
In the sixth inning the Hillcats would respond with a five-run innings. The Hillcats loaded up the bases and then score run after Redding was walked. A wild pitch would then score Watson from third to give the Hillcats their second run of the inning and take the lead. With two runners on, Allie McFetridge would then step up to the plate and hit her first home run of the season down the left-field line to give the Hillcats the 7-3 lead.
 
Players of Note: Watson would hit two home runs on the day. Watson finished 2-for-5 with three walks, four RBIs and three runs.
 
Andrea Morales struck out 10 Lady Chaps batters in game two on the day as she would pitch another complete game for the Hillcats for her seventh win of the season.
 
Anguiano, Waggnor, and McFetridge would all hit their first home run of the season today.
 
Key Statistics: The Hillcats would hit five home runs for the day.
 
The Hillcats would be walked 13 times for the day with eight of the walks coming against Colorado-Colorado Springs.
 
Notes: The 9-2 start from the Hillcats is the best start in the NCAA era for Rogers State. It's the best start overall for the Hillcats since the final year of NAIA membership when Rogers State won 30-straight games to start the season.
 
The Hillcats entered the day with two home runs on the season. Rogers State hit three home runs in game one and two home runs in game two, bringing their season total to seven.
 
Watson has hit a home run in three-consecutive games for the Hillcats.
 
Rogers State entered the day with a NCAA-leading 57 walks through nine games. The Hillcats added 13 walks, bringing their season total to 70 walks in just 11 games, averaging 6.4 free trips to first per game.
 
In the first game of the day, it was 23 degrees (with a 17-degree wind chill) at first pitch between UCCS and RSU. It was the coldest game in the history of Tom Heath Field, which opened in 2014. The previous record was 28 degrees.
 
Up Next: The Hillcats will play one game tomorrow at Broncho Softball Field in Edmond, Oklahoma. The Hillcats take on Colorado Christian in the lone game on Saturday at 6 p.m.