TULSA, Okla. �€" Outfielder Travis
DeBondt (Bakersfield, Calif.) had a pair of hits and drove
in two runs, leading the Oral Roberts University baseball team to a
7-3 win over Texas-Pan American Friday afternoon at JL Johnson
Stadium. ORU (10-6) used a five-run fifth inning to top the Broncs
(8-17) in the first game of their three game set.
All-American Dennis Bigley (Lancaster, Texas)
pitched 8.1 innings of solid baseball in earning the win, giving up
three runs on five hits while striking out six UTPA batters. Bigley
(4-0) now has 34 career wins, tying former Golden Eagle pitcher
Michael Rogers atop the ORU and Mid-Continent Conference all-time
wins list.
The ORU offense first got going in the third, when a single by
catcher Brian Aguailar (Lompoc, Calif.) followed
by DeBondt double gave the home squad a 1-0 lead.
Centerfielder Tim Torres (San Pablo, Calif.) added
another run in the fourth, hitting a solo home run over the right
field wall off Broncs starter Aaron Guerra (3-1).
The Golden Eagles opened the game wide-open in the fifth, as they
used four hits to score five runs and stretch their lead to 7-0.
Aguailar started things off with a double and then scored on
DeBondt's second hit of the day. Shortstop Michael
Hollimon's (Dallas, Texas) triple then plated DeBondt for
a four run lead.
After a walk put runners on the corners, third baseman John
Tackett (Tulsa, Okla.) hit a bases clearing double to make
it 6-0. Tackett would later score ORU's final run of the day thanks
to a balk by UTPA reliever Chad Linders.
The Broncos tried to get back in things during the sixth, when a
Hollimon error and three straight hits cut the lead to 7-2. But
Bigley answered back with a strike out before inducing an
inning-ending double play to get out of the jam.
A pinch-hit home run by Zach Smith in the ninth was the only hit
UTPA could muster the rest of the way, falling by the final of
7-3.
The Golden Eagles totaled eight hits on the afternoon, as DeBondt
and Aguailar both went 2-for-3. DeBondt also had a run scored in
addition to his two RBIs. Tackett added a hit and two RBIs for ORU
while scoring once.
The two teams will meet again tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. at JL Johnson
Stadium.
