CLAREMORE –  Rogers State softball stayed at No. 6 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II Top 25 Poll, the organization announced on Tuesday.

RSU remains the highest-ranked MIAA team in the poll ahead of No. 10 Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State, who received votes. They are still the highest-ranked team in the Central Region ahead of No. 8 Augustana, No. 15 Harding and Southern Arkansas, who received votes.

The Hillcats take their first MIAA road trip of the season on Friday, March 14 as they travel to Maryville, Mo. and face off against Northwest Missouri. First pitch for the doubleheader is set for 2 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Rogers State men’s basketball (23-10, 13-6 MIAA) saw its run in the MIAA Tournament come to an end in a 61-43 semifinal loss to Fort Hays State (21-9, 12-7 MIAA) on Saturday.

“While today was not our best day, I am incredibly proud of this group for winning 23 games and finishing with the second-best record in the league,” said head coach Justin Barkley. “Hats off to Fort Hays State, they were ready to get after it from the tip, and they made life very difficult for us on the offensive end. They are well-coached. However, I’m not going to let today’s result fog up my thoughts on all we have accomplished since Nov. 1. We have covered as much ground in one season in my 15 years coaching as maybe any team I’ve had.”

Key Performers
Anthony Marshall Jr. led the Hillcats with 11 points, adding five rebounds and an assist. Caden Fry finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and a block, just two rebounds shy of a double-double. Jabryn Anderson contributed nine points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block, while Andrew Mason added three blocks and two steals.

Game Recap
The game started with a back-and-forth pace, with four lead changes in the first five minutes. However, the Tigers went on a 10-0 run to take a 15-6 lead with 13:26 left in the half. RSU fought back and closed the gap to 22-19 with under seven minutes to play. But Fort Hays State ended the half on a 10-1 run, leading 32-20 at the break.

The Tigers extended their lead early in the second half, starting with a 6-0 run to push the advantage to 38-20. Despite the Hillcats’ effort, they couldn’t recover, and Fort Hays State claimed the 61-43 victory.

Looking Ahead
Rogers State finishes the season with the second-best record in the MIAA and their most wins since the 2019-20 season. The Hillcats now await the NCAA Tournament selection to see if they will earn an at-large bid.

CLAREMORE, Okla. – Rogers State baseball (13-2, 4-0 MIAA) trailed 4-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning but came all the way back to down Newman (5-12, 1-6 MIAA) 5-4 Friday afternoon at the RCB Bank Sports Complex.

“All wins in this conference are hard to get, but we sure snatched victory from the jaws of defeat today,” said head coach Chris Klimas. “We did not play our best and put ourselves in a hole. Give credit to our guys for finding ways to win games and never quitting. When you trail 4-0, it would have been easy to call it quits, but we kept chipping away and did enough to find a way to win.”

Newman scored a run in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. The game devolved into a pitchers’ duel until the top of the fifth inning when Newman scored two runs. The Jets added another run in the top of the seventh inning.

RSU finally got going in the bottom of the seventh inning when Weston Peninger and Carson Cheatwood hit back-to-back bombs. Andrew Ramirez drove in Luis Fuentes with a sacrifice fly to center, making it a one-run ball game at 4-3 to cap off the frame.

After escaping a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth, the Hillcats loaded them up in the home half with one out. On a 2-2 count, Geovanni Blackshaw wore a pitch that allowed Fuentes to cross for the tying run. On the first pitch he saw, Jackson Romero laced a walk-off single to center field, plating Andres Conteras for the 5-4 victory.

Landon Riley (2-1) earned the win, working a scoreless ninth inning in relief with two strikeouts. Colby Wilson (2-1) suffered the loss.

The Hillcats look to clinch the series in game two tomorrow. First pitch has been moved up to 12 p.m. from the original 1 p.m. start time to avoid potential inclement weather later in the day.