EDMOND, Okla. — No. 7 Rogers State baseball (34-6, 22-4 MIAA) overcame an early deficit to secure the series sweep in run-rule fashion with a 21-10 (8) victory over Central Oklahoma (20-20, 11-15 MIAA) on Tuesday at Wendell Simmons Field. The Hillcats improved to 9-0 in the MIAA series this season with the win.
RSU tallied 19 hits, including three home runs, and scored seven runs in the eighth inning to solidify the win.
Central Oklahoma took an early lead in the second inning with solo home runs by Trevor Rowe and Elijah Alexander, putting them ahead 2-0. By the end of the third, the Bronchos extended their lead to 5-0 following Kade Sheldon's triple and a sacrifice fly by Colton Ayres, combined with two RBIs from Haden O'Toole's double.
The Hillcats responded in the fourth inning with an offensive surge.
Andrew Ramirez singled, followed by walks to
Sammy Harris and
Andres Contreras, loading the bases.
Jake Mitchell's single brought in the first run, and
Nathan Gutierrez (8) followed with his second grand slam of the season, swinging momentum with a 5-5 tie. Further hits by
Zak Nelson,
Blake Conrad and a triple by
Kade Goeke contributed to an eight-run inning, pushing RSU ahead 8-5.
In the fifth inning, a single by
Luis Fuentes scored Gutierrez, increasing the Cats' tally to nine. The Bronchos narrowed the gap with a two-run homer by Drake Lee, bringing the score to 9-7.
RSU added four runs in the sixth inning, with Gutierrez's RBI single and Nelson's first home run as a Hillcat - a three-run homer to left field - extended the lead to 13-7. Central Oklahoma managed two runs in their half, but RSU maintained a 13-9 advantage.
The seventh inning saw a sacrifice fly by Contreras, scoring Fuentes to widen the lead to 14-9. Central Oklahoma's offense remained quiet after the stretch.
The Hillcats erupted for seven more runs in the eighth inning. A series of hits, including a two-RBI single by Fuentes, a two-RBI double by Ramirez and a two-run homer by Contreras, put the game out of reach at 21-9. Central Oklahoma managed one more run with a solo homer by Alexander, but RSU held on to secure the run-rule.
Damon Anderson-Wolf picked up a no-decision in his eighth start of the year for the Hillcats, pitching 2.2 innings while allowing five earned runs on five hits, without issuing any walks.
Christian Estep (1-0) relieved Wolf in his first winning decision on the Hill, pitching 2.1 innings and striking out four batters, while giving up two earned runs on three hits.
Cole Abbott took over for one inning, conceding two earned runs on two hits and issuing one walk.
Elijah Knowlton closed out the game with two innings of work, allowing one earned run on three hits and striking out two.
Gutierrez excelled by scoring four runs and driving in five, including a grand slam home run. Ramirez contributed with four hits and three RBIs, alongside two runs scored. Contreras added a home run, driving in three runs, and scoring three times. Nelson recorded a home run and collected three RBIs while scoring twice.
RSU will return to action on Friday with the opening game of the weekend series against Washburn. First pitch from the RCB Bank Sports Complex is scheduled for 3 p.m.
