WARRENSBURG, Mo. - The Rogers State Baseball team battled to a late loss against No. 4 ranked Central Missouri in the Hillcats first MIAA game, falling 7-5 in the opener of the three-game series.
 
How it Happened: The Hillcats struck first in the game, scoring in the second inning to take an early lead. Dylan Russell would hit a single to right field, scoring Jonathan Soto after he singles and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.
 
The Mules responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the second to make the score 1-1. Central Missouri then added a run with a homer to center field to take a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning.
 
In the top of the fifth inning, the Hillcats loaded up the bases as Nick Follett stepped up to the plate and hit a single to the hole by the shortstop, scoring a pair of runs for the Hillcats, who took a 3-2 lead..
 
Brandon Bradshaw then grounded out to second base to score one run and Soto grounded out to shortstop to score another run on back-to-back RBI groundouts to extend the Hillcat advantage with the four-run inning. After five innings the Navy and Red held a 5-2 lead.
 
The Mules put up three runs in the sixth inning with a home run, single and sacrifice fly to tie the game back up with the Hillcats at 5-5.
 
In the eighth inning, the Mules took the lead back from the Hillcats with their third home run of the game, a two-run shot, which proved to be the final runs of the game.
 
Key Players: Follett was 2-for-4 from the plate with two RBIs, a run, and a walk.
 
Soto also was 2-for-4 from the plate with an RBI and a run.
 
Christian Merriwether had the only extra base hit for the Hillcats, which was a double. Merriwether was 2-for-4 with a run and a walk.
 
Key Statistics: Host Central Missouri hit three home runs in the game.
 
The Hillcats stranded seven base runners, compared to just five for the Mules.
 
Notes: Friday's loss marks the third-consecutive loss against ranked opponents, all who have held the No. 4 ranking. In the NCAA Tournament last season, Rogers State reeled off wins against No. 22 Lubbock Christian and No. 4 Angelo State before falling to No. 4 Angelo State twice.
 
Up Next: The Hillcats will play the Mules in the second game of the three-game series on Saturday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Crane Stadium.