WICHITA, Kan. —  Hillcat baseball (23-3, 11-1 MIAA) secured its fourth-straight MIAA series and extended its win streak to 15 games with a dominant 19-8 (7) run-rule victory over Newman (4-23, 2-15 MIAA) on Saturday at McCarthy Field.
 
RSU tallied 24 hits, including six doubles and three home runs, to power its offensive surge. This total marked the most hits in the NCAA Division II era and fell just one hit shy of the school record set in 2006 against Bluefield College. It was the Hillcats' highest hit total since recording 23 against Bemidji State in 2017.
 
The Cats took control in the third inning, scoring seven runs. Kade Goeke began the inning with a single and a stolen base, followed by an RBI double from Andrew Ramirez. Jake Mitchell contributed with a sacrifice fly, and Nathan Gutierrez and Gavin Gamino both added RBI singles. Blake Conrad capped the rally with his first homer of the season, giving the Hillcats a 7-0 lead after three innings.
 
In the fourth, Mitchell's RBI single extended the lead to 8-0. The Jets responded with a two-run homer, cutting the lead to 8-2.
 
Newman found a rhythm in the fifth inning, scoring five runs highlighted by a three-RBI double and an RBI double, narrowing the gap to 8-7.
 
RSU answered back in the sixth with nine runs. Ramirez (6) hit a solo home run, and Gamino launched a grand slam to collect his first home run in a Hillcat uniform. Harris hit a two-RBI single, and Gutierrez capped the scoring with an RBI walk, pushing the lead to 17-7 through six innings.
 
In the seventh inning, the Hillcats added two more runs as Goeke and Andres Contreras each drove in a run with singles. Newman managed one more run in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn't enough, as RSU secured the victory with a seven-inning run rule—marking the third run rule for the Hillcats in four games.
 
Dillon Dibrell (5-1) pitched 4.0 innings, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits while striking out six and walking one. He started strong in his seventh start of the season, tossing three scoreless innings. Mason Trotter (3) solid relief to pick up his third save of the season. The junior pitched 3.0 innings and giving up one earned run on three hits, with five strikeouts and one walk.
 
Ramirez delivered a standout performance with a home run and a double, driving in three runs and scoring three times. Gamino made a significant contribution by hitting a grand slam and collecting five RBIs while crossing the plate twice. Conrad added a home run, going 2-for-3 at the plate. Harris made an impact with four hits, including three doubles, driving in two runs. Contreras went 3-for-3 with a double and scored three runs. Louis Fuentes also had a strong outing, going 4-for-5.
 
The Hillcats will wrap up play in Wichita tomorrow with the series finale against the Jets at noon.