CLAREMORE, Okla. — Running up against one of the top offenses in the conference, the Newman softball team was swept in a Heartland Conference doubleheader by Rogers State Tuesday to bring the 2018 season to an end.
GAME 1
Key Sequence
The Jets (13-38, 7-23 Heartland) fell victim to the long ball early, as the Hillcats (35-15, 16-9 Heartland) used three home runs in the first two innings to jump out to the lead. Two solo shots kept the damage somewhat limited, but Merissa Smith's two-out knock in the second was a three-run blast that quickly increased the lead in RSU's 6-0 win.
How It Happened
-A leadoff home run by Smith in the bottom of the first opened the scoring, and two walks before her homer in the second allowed the hosts to go up 5-0 quickly.
-After a leadoff single by Delaney Hiegert to start the game, Newman couldn't get the bats to click. They threatened in the fifth, as Paige Wallace singled with one out, but the Hillcats kept the shutout intact as they cut down the play at home on Bailey Bugner's single two batters later.
GAME 2
Key Sequence
The Jets got on the board first and were keeping the Hillcats at bay, but the RSU bats broke through in the bottom of the third. After two outs around a single, the hosts recorded four straight base hits to push across two runs, and kept tacking on runs on the way to an 8-1 victory.
How It Happened
-Hiegert started the game with a single for the second time on the day, and was sacrificed over to second before scoring on Emma Eck's single to right to grab an early 1-0 lead. That lead held up as Nique Payne eased her way through the RSU lineup for the first time.
-After RSU answered to move ahead, Newman put two on with one out after an Eck single and a walk from Wallace in the top of the fourth, but the Hillcats got a pair of popups to end the threat. The hosts went on to add runs in each inning to slowly pull away.
NOTES
-Hiegert picked up a pair of hits on the final day of her Newman career, while fellow senior Taylor Mannis added a single in Game 2.
