WACO, Texas �€" The Oral Roberts University baseball
team never found their offensive stride Saturday night, coming up
on the short end of a 2-1 decision to Baylor University at Baylor
Ballpark in Waco, Texas.
The Bears pitching staff kept the visiting offense in check all
night, led by starter Trey Taylor's (2-0) 11 strikeouts in six
innings of work. The Golden Eagles (4-1) could only muster the one
run on two hits while sending 31 batters to the plate.
Baylor (4-2) got on the board in the first inning, even though they
failed to get a hit. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases
for Bears second baseman Michael Griffin, who made it 1-0 with a
sacrifice fly. ORU starter Taylor McIntyre (1-1)
(Edmond, Okla.) prevented further damage by striking out Mike
Pankratz to end the inning.
Baylor increased their lead to 2-0 in the third, and things stayed
that way through the fourth. With two outs and no one on in the top
of the fifth, first baseman Rene Recio (Corpus
Christi, Texas) sent a Taylor offering over the wall in
left-center, pulling the Golden Eagles back within one.
For Recio, playing his first year in the field after converting
from the mound, it was his first career home run.
The Bears looked to extend their lead in the fifth, as they got two
runners into scoring position with two outs. But relief pitcher
Daniel Greenwalt (LaHabra, Calif.) came in to
relieve McIntyre and got Griffin to ground out to third baseman
Jon Tackett (Tulsa, Okla.) for the final out.
McIntyre pitched 4.2 innings, giving up two runs on four hits,
while walking four and striking out five.
ORU had a chance to tie things in the eighth when pinch hitter
Travis DeBondt (Bakersfield, Calif.) reached on an
error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. But the threat ended
there, as Baylor relief pitcher Abe Woody came in and got second
baseman Brian Hanson (Kelseyville, Calif.) to
strike out and end the threat.
The Golden Eagles tried to get things going again in the ninth,
when Tackett reached first by virtue of the Bears third error on
the night. Left fielder Ricky Rivera (Santa
Isabel, P.R.) followed with a walk, putting two runners aboard with
only one out. Woody shut the door from there, however, getting
Recio to fly out to right and catcher Brian
Aguailar (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) to ground out to first
to end the game.
As a team, ORU left seven baserunners stranded, including two in
the eighth and ninth innings. The Golden Eagle offense also struck
out a total of sixteen times.
Greenwalt pitched 3.1 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing only
one Baylor hit.
Centerfielder Tim Torres (Rocklin, Calif.) was the
only ORU player besides Recio to get a hit, as he reached safely on
an infield single with one out in the fourth inning.
The Golden Eagles and Bears will play the grudge match of the
series tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
--ORU--
