The Rogers State softball team won 3-of-4 games and earned third place honors at the Lady Bison Classic in Shawnee on Friday and Saturday.
The Hillcats defeated McPherson College (McPherson, Kan.) and York College (York, Neb.) on Friday before losing a heartbreaker to Southern Nazarene in extra-innings on Saturday. RSU rebounded to defeat Oklahoma Baptist in the final game of the tournament Saturday afternoon and finished third in the eight-team field.
Rogers State scored two runs in the first inning of Game 1, but trailed McPherson 3-2 entering the fourth inning. The Hillcats hammered out five consecutive hits in the fourth with Kacy Ward delivering the big blow. Ward belted a three-run double to cap a five-run inning for RSU. The Hillcats added four more runs in the fifth and ended the game via run-rule when Megan Wood roped a two-run single to right to reach the final margin, 11-3. Stephanie Eggers pitched a complete game and earned the victory for RSU.
The offense was slowed a bit in Game 2 against York. Rhiannon Treat led off the game with a single and scored to give York a 1-0 lead. RSU tied the game in the third when Randi Tyler singled home Bridgett Stewart. Sydni Jones earned a bases loaded walk in the fifth that proved to be the game-winning RBI as the Hillcats held on for a 2-1 victory. Kelli Dunagan pitched seven innings and allowed just one run on four hits to pick up the win.
The Hillcats squared off with Sooner Athletic Conference opponent Southern Nazarene in the final game of pool play on Saturday morning. McKenzie Woods broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning when she lifted a solo home run just over the center field wall to give SNU a 1-0 lead. RSU answered in the top of the fifth as Ward reached on an error and scored when Somer Dykes blasted a long single off the left field wall. The Crimson Storm fired right back in the sixth as Andrea Frizell belted a solo shot deep over the left field fence to regain the lead, 2-1. Denise Garcia retied the game at 2-2 with a single in the seventh and sent the game into extra innings. The Hillcats failed to score in the top of the eighth and lost 3-2 on a one-out RBI single by Katie Snodgrass in the bottom of the inning.
The loss to SNU placed the Hillcats in the tournament’s third place game against the host school, Oklahoma Baptist. RSU trailed the Lady Bison 1-0 until the fifth inning when Ward delivered a two-run single to right field, giving the Hillcats a 2-1 advantage. Dunagan shut the door on OBU in the sixth and seventh to earn her second win of the weekend.
The Hillcats improved to 13-6 with the third place finish in the Lady Bison Classic. RSU will return home on Wednesday for a doubleheader vs. Pittsburg State. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.