CLAREMORE, Okla. – The Newman baseball team completed its three-game Heartland Conference series with Rogers State Saturday afternoon at the Diamond Sports Complex, coming up a bit short in a tight 3-2 series finale.
 
Jordan Doan walked to get on base with one out in the top of the first inning and would get into scoring position for the Jets (15-19, 4-8 Heartland) by advancing to second base from a wild pitch. Doan could not get any further as the Hillcats (26-10, 10-5) escaped out of the top frame clean.
 
Bradley Altdoerffer and the Newman fielders shut down Rogers State in the bottom of first but the Hillcats would come back out in the bottom of the second and put two runs on the scoreboard to go up 2-0, after two complete innings.
 
Easton Herring led off the top of the third with a bunt single and two at-bats later got to second base off a Ked Bailey single to right center to get into scoring position. However, neither runner could advance any further as the top of the third would come to a close.
 
Rogers State added another run in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend its lead out to 3-0, after four complete innings.
 
Channing Williams started off the top of the fifth inning with a single to left field. Three at-bats later with two outs Ked Bailey singled to center field to score Williams from third base to score the first Newman run of the game. Two at-bats following the first run, Brian Canfield doubled to left field to plate Bailey from second base to make the score 3-2.
 
Daniel Jahnke singled up the middle of the infield in the top of the sixth and would advance to second base on a Williams single through the right side to get into scoring position with one out. The remaining Jet batters in the inning could not get Jahnke home to tie the score up as the top of the sixth came to an end.
 
The Hillcats would keep Newman at-bay throughout the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to hang on to win the series finale with a score of 3-2.
 
Bailey went 3-of-5 from the plate this afternoon with one RBI and one run scored to lead the Jets on the offensive end.
 
Newman heads home for a midweek nonconference game against Northwestern Oklahoma State Tuesday afternoon, starting at 5 p.m. at McCarthy Field.