RSU NOTEBOOK: Hillcats cap landmark year with postseason runs, regional honors

History was made across multiple Rogers State programs this past week. From baseball hosting an NCAA regional for the first time to softball battling into the final inning of postseason play and women’s golf competing on the national stage, the Hillcats continued to raise the standard for athletics in Claremore. BASEBALL Leading the way was the Rogers State baseball team, which saw its historic season come to an end Saturday with an 8-3 loss to Central Missouri in the NCAA Division II Central Regional at the RCB Bank Sports Complex.

No. 10 RSU finished the year 40-15, marking the program’s first 40-win season since 2012 while also setting numerous school records along the way. CMU grabbed an early lead in the elimination game before the Hillcats answered in the second inning when Luis Fuentes ripped a 2-run double to left field, scoring Kade Goeke and Andrew Ramirez for a 2-1 advantage.

Momentum quickly shifted back toward the Mules, however, as CMU reclaimed the lead after three innings and then broke the game open with a 4-run sixth inning fueled by a balk, an RBI single from Drew Veatch and a 2-run single by Brock Kobel. Ramirez finished 3-for-4 and scored once in the loss, while Goeke added 2 hits. Fuentes drove in 2 runs.

Spencer Hatch took the loss after allowing 4 earned runs over 5 innings with 5 strikeouts. Earlier Saturday, the Hillcats kept their season alive with a 3-1 victory over Missouri Southern. Junior Damon Anderson-Wolf improved to 10-0 on the mound, breaking RSU's single-season wins record in the process.