COLLEGE BASEBALL: Hillcat baseball roars back, claims historic series win over No. 4 CMU
· Yahoo Sports
What began as a humbling night quickly turned into a defining statement.
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No. 15 Rogers State University baseball rebounded from a lopsided opener to take the final two games against No. 4 University of Central Missouri baseball, securing the program’s first series victory over the nationally ranked Mules at Crane Stadium.
The Hillcats [30-5, 18-3 MIAA] reached the 30-win mark for the first time since 2019, remained a perfect 7-0 in conference series this season and continued to establish themselves as a legitimate contender in the league.
The weekend didn’t start that way.
Central Missouri controlled Thursday’s opener in a 13-1 runrule decision, overpowering Rogers State with 16 hits while limiting the Hillcats to just 4. Nathan Gutierrez provided the lone highlight with an RBI triple, but the Mules’ early surge and consistent offense set the tone in the loss.
Rogers State flipped the script Friday.
Luis Fuentes sparked the turnaround with a home run and finished with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored as the Hillcats earned a 5-2 victory, their first ranked win of the season.
Timely situational hitting and a composed bullpen
effort proved decisive, with Elijah Knowlton earning the win in relief and Richardo Landeros closing it out with 2.2 hitless innings for the save. Kade Goeke drove in 2 runs, while Andrew Ramirez added an RBI and strong defensive play.
That set the stage for Saturday’s rubber match, where Rogers State completed the statement.
Gutierrez delivered one of the weekend’s top performances, collecting 3 hits, including a home run, and driving in 3 runs in a 5-2 victory that clinched the series. Zak Nelson added 2 hits and a triple, and Andres Contreras contributed with a double and a run scored as the Hillcats built and maintained control.
On the mound, Rogers State leaned on its depth.
Starter Spencer Hatch kept the game within reach before Mason Trotter turned in a dominant relief outing, allowing just 1 hit over 3.1 scoreless innings with 5 strikeouts to earn the win. Michael Klein sealed the victory with a perfect inning, striking out all 3 batters he faced.