Rogers State had an opportunity to knock off the No. 3 team in the nation, but couldn’t come up with a timely hit as the Hillcats were swept in a doubleheader by Oklahoma City at the Hillcat Complex on Tuesday.
RSU trailed OCU 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 1 when Travis Harold was picked off first base with two outs to end the scoring threat. Harold singled home his brother Tyler Harold to draw the Hillcats to within one run before the miscue. The Stars added two big insurance runs on a two-run homer by Ryan Rachal in the seventh to reach the final margin, 5-2. Jared Swart retired the Hillcats in order in the seventh to record his second save. RSU stranded eight base-runners in the game.
RSU took an early 1-0 lead when Jake Brumble singled to start the bottom of the first inning and scored on a single to center by Blake Hollingsworth. OCU took the lead in the third on a two-run homer to right off the bat of Brian Joynt. The Stars added to their lead in the fifth with an RBI single to center field by Bobby Spain. Tyler Kelsey (4-2) earned the win for OCU. Dusty Carriger (5-6) suffered the loss for RSU despite a solid effort. Carriger allowed three runs on nine hits over five innings.
Oklahoma City received a dominate pitching performance from Ben Langridge (3-0) in Game 2. Langridge tossed a five-inning no-hitter as the Stars blanked RSU, 11-0. Langridge allowed no walks and just two base-runners while striking out five. OCU belted four home runs in the nightcap to complete the two-game sweep. David Dennis delivered a three-run shot in the top of the first inning and Brandon Harrigan followed with another long ball. Joynt added his second dinger of the day in the fourth inning. Landon Camp closed out the festivities with a homer to left in the fifth. OCU leads the nation in home runs with 99 on the season.
Tyler Whitaker (3-4) took the loss for RSU after allowing nine runs in four innings of work. Coach Ron Bradley’s club fell to 23-21 with the sweep and will look to rebound this weekend. The Hillcats will host Mid-America Christian in a doubleheader on Saturday at the Hillcat Complex. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.