Rogers State fell behind 4-0 in the first inning and never recovered as Dakota Wesleyan (Mitchell, S.D) defeated the Hillcats, 5-3 at Hillcat Field on Sunday.
Three errors led to four first-inning runs for the Tigers. RSU starter Creston Moon did not help his own cause as he committed two throwing errors in the first. DWU starter Jayce Alvarado allowed just one hit through the first four innings. The Hillcats got on the scoreboard in the fifth when second baseman Andrew Sherman singled to right and scored on an error by the Tigers shortstop. Right fielder Eric Bunch followed with an RBI single, scoring shortstop Jake Brumble to cut the lead to 4-2.
Dakota Wesleyan answered with a run in the sixth and the Hillcats were down three runs entering their last at-bat. Brumble started a two-out rally with a walk and scored on a double to right by centerfielder Greg Speed. A hit-batsman brought the winning run to the plate in the form of third baseman Zach Bacon. However, Tigers closer David Andersen nailed down the save, inducing Bacon into a game-ending ground out to give DWU the win.
Moon (0-1) suffered the loss for class=”style31″ Rogers class=”style31″State . Alvarado picked up his first win of 2007 for the Tigers. class=”style31″Rogers class=”style31″ State fell to 4-4 on the season as Dakota Wesleyan improved to 1-1. The Hillcats will hit the road for the first time on Tuesday when they travel to Southern Nazarene. The doubleheader will be broadcast on RSU-Radio on 91.3 FM. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.