VALPARAISO, Ind.�€"Lead-off batter Brendan Duffy paced Oral
Roberts University's 12-hit attack as the Golden Eagles defeated
Valparaiso 12-3 in a Mid-Continent Conference game, Sunday at Bauer
Field.
The Golden Eagles
(19-12, 3-0 Mid-Con) swept the series from the Crusaders (6-21,
1-6) after the second game of the scheduled doubleheader was rained
out.
Duffy, the sophomore
right fielder, enjoyed the best offensive game of his career, going
3-for-4 with four runs scored, four RBI and was a perfect 3-for-3
in stolen base attempts.
Duffy started the
scoring spree in the taop of the first inning. He walked, stole
second with one out and came around to score the game's first run
on an RBI single by Chad Rothford.
Tim Torres laced an RBI
double for a 2-0 lead, and Andy Bouchie line a two-run
double to left field for a 4-0 lead.
Rothford's RBI grounder
in the second inning made it 5-0 and a Duffy sacrifice fly in the
third gave the Golden Eagles a 6-0 lead.
While the Golden Eagles
were pounding the ball, ORU starting pitcher Daniel Greenwalt (2-2) was
stifling the Crusaders. Greenwalt set down the first 10 batters he
faced, finally allowing a hit with one out in the fourth. But
Michael Arensdorff was thrown out trying to stretch the single into
a double.
A three-run fifth
inning gave ORU a 7-0 lead. Bouchie led off the inning with a
line-drive home run to left, and Duffy knocked in a run with a
single and later scored on an error.
Valpo got on the board
in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run by Ryan Manthei, the
first of three straight innings in which the Crusaders scored a
single run.
After a 50-minute rain
delay in the bottom of the sixth, Valpo scored in the sixth on an
RBI single by Colin Reynolds, and added another run in the bottom
of the seventh on a two-out RBI single by Kevin Perri.
ORU put the game out of
reach in the top of the ninth, scoring three runs. Duffy lined a
two-run double to left and Kelly Minissale knocked in
Duffy with a single for a 12-3 lead.
Greenwalt was strong in
8.0 innings of work, allowing three runs on eight hits, striking
out eight and walking one. Matt Gillikin (0-3) suffered the loss
for Valpo, allowing four run on five hits in 1.2 innings.
In addition to Duffy's
outstanding day, Bouchie was 2-for-5 with three RBI while Minissale
and Torres each had two hits.
The Golden Eagles
return to action when they visit Centenary for a four-game Mid-Con
series beginning Saturday with a 12 noon doubleheader in Shrevport,
La.
--ORU--
