ADA, Okla. — Rogers State baseball (3-1) opened the week with a 10-6 victory over East Central (1-4) on Tuesday afternoon. RSU used 13 hits to erase an early deficit.
East Central's early four-run surge in the first inning set the tone, with a sequence featuring a double and a sacrifice fly contributing to the score. A wild pitch and two subsequent hits further extended their lead. Despite this early deficit, RSU gradually chipped away at the Tigers' advantage.
Rogers State started closing the gap in the second inning.
Nathan Gutierrez walked, and a hit-by-pitch put two men on base.
Gavin Gamino's sacrifice fly and
Kade Goeke's single through the left side brought home two runs.
Tyler Nelson's double in the third inning scored another, cutting further into the lead.
Andres Contreras' two doubles, including an RBI double in the third, were pivotal in maintaining momentum for the Cats'.
In the fourth,
Trevor Spainhoward added to the slugfest with his second home run of the season that coasted out of the park in left. RSU added two more runs in the fifth and sixth, as T. Nelson scored on a wild pitch and used a sac bunt to drive in
Jake Mitchell, giving the Hillcats a 6-4 lead.
In the seventh inning, following a lead-off double from Contreras, an error allowed RSU to capitalize, with Gutierrez's RBI single and a sacrifice fly from Spainhoward driving in two runs. They persisted in the eighth and ninth innings, adding insurance runs, with RBI singles from T. Nelson and
Andrew Ramirez.
Damon Anderson-Wolf pitched six innings with no walks and a strikeout. He threw 67 pitches, 46 of which were strikes, and earned the win to improve to a 1-0 record.
Elijah Knowlton contributed 2.0 innings of relief, allowing 1 hit, no runs and recording two strikeouts on 20 pitches.
Christian Estep closed the show on the bump.
Nelson went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Contreras added two doubles and scored twice, contributing one RBI. Gutierrez drew two walks, scored twice and drove in a run with a hit. Spainhoward hit a home run, driving in two runs and scoring twice.
The Hillcats will return to action with a three-game series against Missouri-St. Louis this weekend at the RCB Bank Sports Complex. Action will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday beginining at noon.
