MARYVILLE, Mo. - The No. 6-ranked Rogers State Hillcats gained a doubleheader sweep over the Northwest Missouri State University softball team Friday.

The Hillcats took game one, 7-2, and the second contest, 12-7. The Hillcats improved to 20-5 overall and 6-2 in MIAA play. Northwest dropped to 10-13 overall and 0-2 in league action.

The Bearcats left 26 runners on base in the doubleheader setback. Northwest left 11 runners on in game one and then had 15 runners stranded in game two.

GAME ONE
The Hillcats hit three homers and tallied 10 hits in their 7-2 victory in game one.

Rogers State manufactured a first-inning run to take a 1-0 lead. The Hillcats added a three spot in the third inning to up the advantage to 4-0.

Northwest sliced the lead in half in the fourth on a two-RBI single to left from Alexis Brown. Brown brought home Grace Lubben and Riahn Pinkerton to cut the RSU lead to 4-2 in the fourth inning.

The Hillcats added two homers in the seventh to push the lead to 7-2. The Bearcats left the bases loaded in the seventh with the tying run left in the on deck circle.

Brown went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Omara Love went 2-for-4. Gaige Pinkerton drew a pair of walks and went 1-for-2 as she reached base three times.

Jadyn Streigle took the loss as she pitched four innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. She struck out three and walked one. Cassidy Paulson pitched the final three innings. She allowed three hits and three runs with four strikeouts.

GAME TWO
Northwest pounded out 14 hits but left 15 runners on base in taking a 12-7 loss to Rogers State.

Skylar Pieper put up four of the 14 hits as she went 4-for-5 with a home run and a double.

Pieper homered to lead off the second inning and knot the score at 1-1 after RSU had scored in the first without the benefit of a hit.

Riahn Pinkerton and Lillie Filger each drove home runs in the second to give Northwest a 3-1 lead.

The advantage was short-lived as the Hillcats hit a solo homer and took advantage of a throwing error by Bearcat right fielder Alexis Brown to tie the game at 3-3.

The Hillcats battered Bearcat reliever Erika Gore for eight runs (five earned) in the fourth to take an 11-3 lead.

Pieper and Riahn Pinkerton each delivered RBI-singles to the outfield to trim the RSU lead to 11-5. 

The Hillcats managed to get a run back in the fifth of the third reliever that head coach Naomi Tellez turned to in Kylee Rockhold.

Omara Love reached on an error that scored Alexis Brown in the fifth to pull the Bearcats to within 12-6.

Malia Cuevas singled up the middle in the ninth to bring home Filger. Cuevas's RBI trimmed the RSU lead to 12-7. However, the Bearcats left the bases loaded to end the game and took a five-run loss.

Gore took the loss in the circle as she gave up seven hits and eight runs (five earned) as she faced 12 batters.

Rien Moore pitched the seventh and allowed a hit and a walk as she struck out the side.

Northwest will be back in action Saturday against Northeastern State. The doubleheader is slated to start at 12 p.m. at the Bearcat Softball Field (weather pending).

NOTES: Alexis Brown leads the Bearcats in hitting with a .413 average ... Lillie Filger had three hits in the second game to give her 180 career hits ... Filger has 11 multi-hit games this season ... Brown has posted 10 multi-hit games ... Gaige Pinkerton has the longest active hitting streak on the team with eight ... Pinkerton has also reached base in 10 straight games ... Skylar Pieper has seven multi-RBI games this season to lead the squad ... Pieper leads the squad with 21 RBI ... Rien Moore possesses the MIAA's top ERA (1.02) in 27 1/3 innings pitched ... Moore has struck out a team-high 30 batters.