Hillcats Drive Home The Series Sweep Of Drovers

Rogers State completed the season sweep of the USAO Drovers with a doubleheader sweep Thursday afternoon at the Diamond Sports Complex.

In the first game the Hillcats applied a run-rule 10-0 victory in five innings to the Drovers and followed with an 8-3 come from behind victory in the nightcap.

The 15-0 start is the best in program history and marks the longest winning streak in RSU Softball's eight years of existence.

GAME ONE

RSU burst out of the starting gates in the first game of the afternoon with a four run bottom of the first. A leadoff single by Jamie King followed by a Cailin Simpson double, put runners in scoring position as Candace Monigold came to the plate with no outs. The Hillcat centerfielder singled to right field scoring King from third. A double by Katrina Loy to the left-center field gap scored Simpson and Monigold pushing the lead out to 3-0. Katie Ellington eventually scored on a throwing error by the Drovers left fielder as RSU took a 4-0 advantage.

The scoring didn't stop in the bottom of the second as Simpson doubled with two runners on base to score Toni Shurtliff after her leadoff walk. Two batters later Monigold's sacrifice fly to left scored Ashlie Fauchier from third building a 6-0 lead.

In the third it was much of the same as Taran Threet's RBI ground out scored Shona Guerrero. Desireé Ayarzagoitia scored just before a throw home as Toni Shurtliff reached on the fielder's choice. Shurtliff scored three batters later on a double by Simpson as the Hillcats held a 9-0 lead.

The final run for the Hillcats came in the fourth after a single by Loy led off the bottom half of the inning. Jackie Flores pinch ran for Loy, the senior from Claremore, Okla. Flores moved to second on a pass ball before an error by the Drovers second baseman on Threet's batted ball put RSU up 10-0.

Laura Fleck retired the Drovers in the top of the fifth with a fly out, strikeout and ground out to secure the victory. The sophomore southpaw pitched five scoreless innings in the run rule victory over USAO. She fanned five batters while allowing just two hits.

Simpson went 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI while Katrina Loy added a pair of RBI batting 2-for-2.

Morgan Bratcher received the loss for USAO as she allowed 10 runs, eight earned, on 11 hits fanning four and issuing two walks.

GAME TWO

In the nightcap the Hillcats fell behind by three runs through two and a half innings of play before RSU lit up the scoreboard with runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings.

A leadoff double by Ashley Rasovic in the top of the second was followed two batters later with a RBI single by Kayla Adams to give the Drovers its first lead of the afternoon. USAO added a pair of runs in the top of the third on one swing of the bat by Rasovic. A two-run shot over the leftfield fence gave Rasovic and the Drovers a 3-0 lead.

RSU answered in the bottom half of the third on a two RBI single by King scored Shurtliff and Fauchier trimming the deficit to just one run at 3-2. In the next at-bat Simpson reached on a fielding error by the Drovers second baseman moving King to third.

With runners on the corners, Monigold hit a 0-1 pitch hard to the second baseman for USAO. Simpson hesitated as she came off first base forcing the Drover second baseman to come up for the tag and allowing King to score from third. The run tied the game at 3-3 and turned the momentum in favor of RSU.

RSU would take the lead, 4-3, in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out, first pitch home run by King to left field.

A double by Guerrero led off the sixth inning for the Hillcats. Threet followed with a bunt but reached on a catching error by the Drovers second baseman resulting in Guerrero scoring via the error. Threet moved to second on the missed catch and moved to third before Megan Williams came in to pinch run. A single by Shurtliff to right field scored Williams from third and moved RSU's lead to 6-3.

King compiled her fourth RBI with a single to right-center field to score Ashlie Fauchier. Simpson followed with a single of her own before RSU put the score at its final mark of 8-3 on a RBI single by Monigold to score King from third.

Fleck (6-0) earned the victory for RSU allowing just three runs, all earned, on eight hits while fanning three batters.

Brooke McLeod received the loss for the Drovers pitching the complete six innings giving up eight runs, five earned, on nine hits.

The Hillcat top of the order consisting of King, Simpson and Monigold went for a combined 11-for-20 with 10 RBI for the afternoon.

Rogers State (15-0, 4-0) will travel to Wichita, Kan. for the McPherson College Tournament held Friday and Saturday, March 8-9 playing five games over the two day span.