TULSA, Okla. �€" Oral Roberts University�€™s baseball team recieved a solid performance from their pitching staff and used timely home runs by Kelly Minissale (Murphy, Texas) and Carter McQuigg (Miami, Okla.) to defeat Central Arkansas, 5-0, on Saturday afternoon at J.L. Johnson Stadium.

ORU (7-8) got on the board in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Chad Rothford (Fresno, Calif.) singled to right field to score Kelly Minissale (Murphy, Texas), who doubled to right field.

Carter McQuigg (Miami, Okla.) hit his fourth home run of the year in the second inning as the Golden Eagles stretched their lead to 2-0.

ORU�€™s starter Chance Chapman (Paso Robles, Calif.) struck out five while allowing one hit and three walks in 4.0 innings of work.

The Golden Eagles tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth off UCA�€™s starter Matt Whitaker to build a 4-0 advantage. Pat Warfle (Melbourne, Fla.) reached on an error and then Minissale made UCA (7-7) pay for the costly error with a two-run home run to right field.

Minissale added another RBI in the seventh, scoring Adam Younger (Cape Coral, Fla.) for a 5-0 Golden Eagle lead.

ORU used three different relievers to complete the shut out. Carlos Luna (Bakersfield, Calif.), Erik Crichton (Seal Beach, Calif.), and Chris Ashman (Hemet, Calif.) sealed the game for the Golden Eagles. Luna and Crichton pitched two innings each while Ashman pitched the ninth.

UCA�€™s Whitaker was relieved in the eighth inning after allowing six hits and five runs, although only three of those were earned, in seven innings of work.

Minissale finished the day 2-for-4 with a game-high three RBI. Both Rothford and McQuigg finished with a RBI.

Overall, the Golden Eagles had six hits compared to UCA�€™s two.

ORU and UCA will conclude the series tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. at J.L. Johnson Stadium.

-ORU-