CLAREMORE, Okla. — Late heroics from senior
Jake Mitchell lifted No. 2 seed Rogers State Baseball (39-13) to a 4-3 victory over No. 7 seed Missouri Southern (33-18) in a 10-inning NCAA Regional classic on Thursday at RCB Bank Sports Complex.
The game remained scoreless through the first four innings, as neither team was able to capitalize on early baserunners.
In the fifth inning, the Hillcats broke the deadlock. Mitchell walked and advanced to third on a balk, with
Sammy Harris moving to second.
Trevor Spainhoward's groundout to shortstop allowed Mitchell to score, and another balk brought Harris home, giving RSU a 2–0 lead.
The Hillcats added another run in the sixth.
Zak Nelson singled and advanced on a throwing error, later scoring on an
Andres Contreras single, extending the lead to 3–0.
The Lions responded in the seventh inning with two runs, fueled by a two-RBI single from Blake Jones, narrowing the gap to 3–2. They tied the game in the eighth inning, scoring on a sacrifice bunt by Ethan Clark.
After a scoreless ninth inning from both teams, the game moved into the tenth. RSU capitalized on a leadoff single by Nelson. With runners on first and second, Mitchell's single t drove in the winning run, sealing a 4–3 victory for the Cats'. This marked Mitchell's first career walk-off.
Zach Horwith delivered a strong performance for RSU, pitching 6.2 innings while allowing two earned runs on seven hits, striking out four and issuing two walks. He threw 110 pitches, 70 of which were strikes, demonstrating command on the mound.
Ricardo Landeros came in for relief and pitched 1/3 of an inning, allowing one earned run and two walks.
Michael Klein (3-2) closed out the game with 3.0 strong innings of shutout relief, securing the win for RSU with 38 pitches and 25 strikes.
Z. Nelson scored two runs and collected two hits, leading the offensive efforts. Contreras recorded two hits and drove in one run, contributing to the team's scoring. Mitchell added a run and an RBI while also drawing two walks and stealing a base.
RSU will return to action tomorrow against UCM for its second game of the NCAA Central Regional. First pitch for the RCB Bank Sports Complex is set for 5 p.m.
