MACOMB, Ill. �€" Oral Roberts University�€™s baseball team swept Friday�€™s doubleheader with Western Illinois, defeating WIU in the first game, 9-5, in 10 innings and winning, 18-2, in the second in Mid-Continent Conference action at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium. ORU won for the 22^nd time in 23 games, improving to 36-15 overall and 18-1 in league play while WIU dropped to 31-23 overall and 11-8 in conference action.

It took extra innings in the first game for the Golden Eagles to defeat the Leathernecks, winning 9-5 in the 10^th. ORU pushed across five runs in the top half of the 10^th as the Golden Eagles improved to 3-1 in games decided in extra innings.

ORU rallied from a 4-2 deficit late in the ball game with a two-run eighth. A run-scoring double by pitch-hitter Stephen Pearson (Petaluma, Calif.) and a David Genao (Newark, N.J.) RBI ground out tied the game at 4-4.

Western Illinois would load the bases off in the bottom of the ninth off reliever Erik Crichton (Seal Beach, Calif.), but the right-hander struck out Cooper Stewert to end WIU�€™s threat and send the game to extra innings.

In the 10^th, ORU scored all five runs with two outs. Pearson started the scoring with an RBI double to score Carter McQuigg (Miami, Okla.). Genao, Tyler Warmerdam (Lodi, Calif.), Kelly Minissale (Murphy, Texas), and Jake Kahaulelio (Windsor, Calif.) each added RBI singles in the inning off WIU�€™s reliever Todd Nelson (7-3).

Crichton worked the 10^th to win his fourth consecutive decision and improve to 4-4 on the year.

ORU cruised through the first six innings with a 2-0 lead, but WIU rallied with a four-run seventh inning to take a 4-2 lead.

ORU starter Jerry Sullivan (Budd Lake, N.J.) was credited with a no decision despite striking out a career-high seven batters and having a no-hitter through four innings. The freshman scattered three hits and two runs in six innings of work.

In the second game, ORU led throughout, setting new season-highs in runs (18) and hits (22).

ORU jumped on WIU early, posting three runs off WIU�€™s starter Frank Zenisek (2-2) in the first inning for a 3-0 lead.

Warfle led off the game with a triple over the center fielder and then scored on a single by Warmerdam. Brian Van Kirk (Southwest Ranches, Fla.) and McQuigg added RBI singles in the first.

ORU and WIU each scored two runs in the second as ORU headed to the third with a 5-2 lead. The Golden Eagles bats broke out in the third inning, posting 10 runs with eight hits to take a 15-2 advantage.

Genao had a huge inning from the plate with a RBI triple and a two-run home run, his second of the year. Van Kirk also hit a three-run home run in the inning, his second of the day and ninth this season.

Chad Rothford (Fresno, Calif.) plated two more runs in the sixth inning with a double to the power ally in left field.

Carlos Luna (Bakersfield, Calif.) pitched the final five innings while striking out four Leathernecks. The right-hander (3-0) held WIU scoreless the rest of the way, giving up only one hit to stay undefeated on the year.

All nine starters had at least one hit in the second game for the Golden Eagles.

Van Kirk finished the day 5-for-8 with five RBI while Pearson had four RBI to pace the Golden Eagle attack.

ORU will try to complete the four-game sweep of Western Illinois tomorrow at 12 p.m.

-ORU-