ROCHESTER, MI�€"Nick Jones (Broken Arrow,
Okla.) tossed a 2-hit shutout and struck out a career-high 13
batters as Oral Roberts University won the opening game of a
Mid-Continent Conference doubleheader at Oakland 9-0. The Golden
Grizzlies rallied for a 5-3 win in the nightcap.
Jones (3-2) allowed
just two singles and walked one batter in nine innings of work in
the opener. After allowing a two-out single in the sixth, he
retired the game's final 10 batters including four by
strikeout.
The Golden Eagles
(22-15, 7-1 Mid-Con) scored three runs in the top of the second off
Oakland starter Ty Herriott (0-5). Third baseman Jon Tackett (Tulsa, Okla.)
had an RBI single and, after catcher Brian Aguailar (Lompoc,
Calif.) reached on a two-out hit-by-pitch, right fielder Travis DeBondt
(Bakersfield, Calif.) smacked a two-run double for a 3-0 lead.
With a three-run
cushion, Jones dominated the Golden Grizzlies in the middle
innings. He struck out the side in second inning, fanned two in the
third, one in the fourth and two more in the sixth. Oakland's only
base runners came on a two-out single in the fourth, a two-out walk
in the fifth and a two-out single in the sixth.
ORU put the game away
with a six-run eighth inning. The Golde Eagles took a 4-0 lead when
Aguailar reached on a bases-loaded erro by the second baseman.
DeBondt made it 6-0 with a two-run single and shortstop Michael Hollimon
(Dallas, Texas) blasted a three-run homer to right to make it
9-0.
Jones' 13 strikeouts
are the most by an ORU pitcher since Dennis Bigley fanned 13
against Valparaiso on May 1, 2004.
In game two, the Golden
Eagles jumped out to a 1-0 on a solo home run by center fielder
Kelly
Minissale (Murphy, Texas) in top of the second. But the
lead didn't last long as Oakland scored two runs in the bottom of
the inning on a double steal and a two-out bloop single by
Herriott.
Minissale tied the game
at 2-2 in the top of the fourth with an RBI double, but again
Oakland answered back. The Golden Grizzlies scored two runs in the
bottom of the fourth, one coming on a one-out throwing error by
catcher Aaron
Garcia (Moorpark, Calif.) and the other coming on an RBI
double by Tim Doig.
Oakland made it 5-2 in
the bottom of the fifth on a Paul Phillips RBI single.
The Golden Eagles
mounted a comeback in the top of the sixth. With Minissale at
second and Aguailar �€"who came in for Garcia
defensively in the bottom of the fifth �€" at first,
DeBondt bounced an RBI single through the right side to make it
5-3. But Hollimon lined out hard to relief pitcher Kyle Bishop to
end the inning.
Rene Recio (Corpus Christi,
Texas) took the loss for the Golden Eagles, allowing four runs on
six hits in 3.1 innings.
Minissale, a freshman,
enjoyed the best day of his young career, going 5-for-8 with two
doubles, a homer, three RBI and three runs scored. DeBondt was
3-for-4 with four RBI in the opener and 4-for-7 on the day.
The Golden Eagles take
a long break and return to action when they visit Arkansas, 7 p.m.,
Tuesday, April 26th.
--ORU--
