TULSA�€"Three Oral Roberts errors led to four unearned
runs as No. 12 Arkansas defeated No. 14 ORU 8-4, Tuesday at J.L.
Johnson Stadium.
In the first match-up
of Top 20 teams at J.L. Johnson Stadium in 18 years, the Razorbacks
(30-13) scored all of their runs in the first three innings, then
had to withstand another two-out, ninth-inning rally by the Golden
Eagles (33-8).
ORU starter Rene Recio (Corpus
Chrisi, Texas), who recently began a comeback after missing 13
months following elbow surgery, was roughed up for five runs (three
unearned) in the top of the first inning.
After surrendering a
two-run double to Scott Hode and an RBI single to Scott Bridges,
Recio (1-2) appeared to be out of the inning when catcher Blake
Parker hit a ground ball to second baseman Brian Hanson (Kelseyville,
Calif.). But Hanson bobbled the ball for an error, loading the
bases for Stephen Robision who delivered a two-run single for a 5-0
Arkansas lead.
The Razorbacks added
another run in the second on a solo home run by Hode, and two more
unearned runs scored in the third when third baseman Jon Tackett (Tulsa, Okla.)
mishandled a two-out grounder, leading to two more runs and giving
Arkansas an 8-0 lead through three innings.
The Golden Eagles
finally dented the scoreboard in the sixth. Hanson led off with
walk and moved to second on a single by Josh Lex (Elk Grove,
Calif.), one of three hits on the night for Lex. Grant Plumley (Lake Forest,
Calif.) doubled home Hanson to cut the lead to 8-1, and chasing
Ryan Lennerton (1-2) from the game.
Zach Butler relieved
and followed a walk to Dennis Bigley (Lancaster,
Texas) with a wild pitch, to put ORU within 8-2. Ricky Rivera's (Santa
Isabel, P.R.) RBI grounder made it 8-3, but Butler got out of
further trouble when Tackey bounced into a 6-4-3 double to end the
inning.
The Golden Eagles made
it 8-4 in the seventh on an RBI single by Lex. ORU, which has won
six times in its final at-bat this season including two weeks ago
against the Razorbacks in Fayetteville, made things interesting in
the ninth inning against Razorbacks closer Caton Hall.
Hall struck out Tackett
to start the inning, then surrendered a double to Ryan Welborn (Yukon,
Okla.). Matt
VanDerBosch (Hastings, Minn.) followed with a single to
center, but Welborn got caught in a rundown between third and home
and was retired.
Welborn's base running
mistake would prove costly. Hanson was hit by a pitch and Lex
singled to left, loading the bases with two out. But ORU's comeback
bid ended when Plumley's liner to left-centefield was caught to end
the game.
Although Recio had a
rough start, ORU's bullped was solid. Tim Robertson (Huntington
Beach, Calif.) allowed one earned run on three hits in 4.0 innings
of work, striking out three and walking three. Adam Lesko (Las Vegas,
Nev.) allowed one hit in 4.0 shutout innings, striking out three
without a walk.
ORU banged out 10 hits,
with Lex's 3-for-5 performance leading the way. Hode was 3-for-4
with three RBI for Arkansas.
The Golden Eagles next
visit Mid-Continent Conference foe Valparaiso for a four-game
series, beginning with a 12 noon doubleheader on Saturday.
--ORU--
