MALIBU, Calif. -- Oral Roberts University's baseball team jumped out to an 11-1 lead in the fourth and held on to beat No. 17 Pepperdine, 13-10, to avoid the sweep Sunday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium.

For the first time in the series, ORU took the lead with a five-run first inning. The Golden Eagles sent 10 batters to the plate, belted five hits and knocked Pepperdine's starter Robert Dickmann (1-2) out of the game with only one out. Brian Van Kirk, Pat Murray, Adam Younger and Juan Martinez each produced run-scoring hits. Martinez belted a double to left center with the bases loaded to plate two runs.

Michael Jarman (3-1) ran into trouble in the first inning with runners on the corners and one out, but forced Eric Thames to ground into a double play to end the inning.

Pepperdine was able to score a single run in the second inning to trim ORU's lead to 5-1.

The Golden Eagles loaded the bases in the third but could not take advantage of the opportunity as Pepperdine's reliever Matt ByWater got Brendan Duffy to ground out.

ORU added to their lead in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run by Ben Petralli that scored Van Kirk for a 7-1 lead. The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 9-1 when David Genao and Adam Younger were plated on another double to right center by Martinez. Kelly Minissale added an RBI sacrifice fly and Justin Mitchell scored on an error by the Pepperdine shortstop as the Golden Eagles built an 11-1 lead.

The Waves tallied a run in the fifth and got a three-run home run by Donald Brown in the sixth as the ORU lead was cut to 11-5.

Reliever Carlos Luna came in the sixth with the bases loaded and after walking in a run the right-hander got ORU out of the jam by forcing a groundout to end the Pepperdine threat.

After Pepperdine cut ORU's lead to 11-8, ORU was able to add two insurance runs in the top of the eighth. Pat Murray knocked in the first run by plating Duffy on a double down the left field line. Murray then advanced to third on a single by Petralli and scored on a balk called on Pepperdine's Nick Gaudi.

The Waves scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth to put the pressure back on the Golden Eagles and make it a 13-10 game.

T.J. Kelly worked the last three innings and did not allow a run in the ninth to earn his third save of the year.

ORU used five different pitchers in the game while Pepperdine used six hurlers. There were a combined 21 walks in the game.

Jarman scattered seven hits and allowed two earned runs while striking out four in five innings of work.
ORU returns home on Monday to prepare with a mid-week match up against nationally-ranked Wichita State on Tuesday at J.L. Johnson Stadium at 7 p.m.

--ORU--