Box Score
MALIBU, CA�€"Oral Roberts University scored seven
times in the eighth inning thanks to three errors and a passed
ball, breaking a 4-4 tie and cruising to an 11-4 win over No. 18
UC-Irvine in the opening round of the Pepperdine/Yellowbook USA
Classic, Friday at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
After Irvine (13-4-1)
tied the game with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, the
Golden Eagles (11-3) erupted in the top of the eighth. Ricky Rivera (Santa
Isabel, P.R.) led off the inning with a double and advanced to
third on a wild pitch. Rivera later scored on a passed ball as
Josh Lex (Elk
Grove, Calif.) struck out, putting ORU back on top 5-4.
Boomer Welles (Beverly
Hills, Calif.) walked and Nate Griffin reached on a
walk, loading the bases with no outs. Ryan Welborn (Yukon, Okla.)
delivered a sac fly for a 6-4 lead and after Matt VanDerBosch (Hastings,
Minn.) reached on the first error of the inning, Brian Hanson (Kelseyville,
Calif.) delivered a sac fly for a 7-4 lead.
Grant Plumley (Lake Forest,
Calif.) singled in a run for an 8-4 advantage, VanDerBosch scored
on a error and Rivera doubled home to runs to cap the inning and
give OR an 11-4 lead.
Tim Robertson (Huntington
Beach, Calif.) picked up his first win, pitching 2.2 shutout innngs
in relief of Dennis
Bigley (Lancaster, Texas), who allowed four runs on eight
hits in 6.2 innings.
The Golden Eagles took
a 1-0 lead in the first when VanDerBosch singled, stole second and
reached third on a throwing error, and scored on a sac fly by
Plumley.
ORU made it 3-0 in the
third, getting an RBI double from VanDerBosch and a run-scoring
single from Hanson. Griffin delivered an RBI single in the sixth
for a 4-0 lead.
UC-Irvine trimmed the
lead to 4-1 when Erik Johnson belted a solo home run in the bottom
of the sixth.
The Anteaters tied it
with three runs in the seventh, chasing Bigley from the game. Matt
Fisher, Matt Anderson and Mark Wagner each ad RBI base hits.
ORU banged out 13 hits
off five different UCI pitchers. Plumley was 3-for-4 with two RBI
and VanDerBosch, Rivera and Griffin each had two hits.
The Golden Eagles take
on Washington State, 12 Noon, Saturday.
--ORU--
