TULSA—
Michael Jarman pitched a complete game in the
opener, and Oral Roberts University used timely hitting in the
night cap to gain a doubleheader sweep over Oakland, winning 7-4
and 9-4, Saturday at J.L. Johnson Stadium.
The victories gave ORU (37-12, 19-4) its 10th consecutive Summit
League regular-season title. Oakland dropped to 14-25 overall and
6-10 in League play.
Game One
Michael Jarman (9-2) tossed a complete game and
struck out a season-high 12 batters as ORU defeated Oakland, 7-4.
Jarman allowed four runs on seven hits, walking two and hitting two
batters in gaining his fifth complete game of the season.
ORU scored single runs in the second, third and fourth innings in
staking Jarman to a 3-0 lead. Brian Van
Kirk doubled to start the second and later scored on a passed
ball for a 1-0 lead.
Kelly Minissale plated Juan
Martinez with a sacrifice fly in the third inning for a 2-0
advantage, and
Michael Notaro blasted a solo home run in the
fourth to make it 3-0.
Oakland answered with four runs in the sixth. Andrew Stafford
knocked in the first run with a double, and Rob Merkle, Scott
Sexton and Taylor Traub each followed with RBIs. Jarman finally got
out of the inning with back-to-back strikeouts, but Oakland owned a
4-3 lead.
Ben Petralli tied the game with a lead-off home
run in the sixth, and Notaro greeted reliever Shane McCatty with a
bases-loaded RBI single to put the Golden Eagles up, 5-4. But ORU
left the bases loaded when McCatty struck out Brendan
Duffy to end the inning.
Petralli gave ORU some breathing room with a two-out solo home run
in the seventh, making it 6-4. Duffy knocked in ORU's final run
with a fielder's choice in the bottom of the eighth.
Petralli finished game one 3-for-4, scoring two runs and driving in
a pair with two solo homers. Notaro and Van Kirk each rapped two
hits as part of ORU's 12-hit attack.
Game Two
Oakland put a scare in the Golden Eagles, scoring three runs in the
top of the first off a shaky Jerry
Sullivan. But Sullivan (7-2) settled down and ORU rallied past
the Golden Grizzlies, 9-4.
With winds gusting up to 30 mph and blowing straight out to
centerfield as game two began, Oakland took advantage of Sullivan's
wildness and the strong winds to put up three runs in the top of
the first. Sullivan walked three batters in the opening frame, and
a pair of wind-aided base hits – including a pop up on the
left side of the infield – drove in all three runs.
Down 3-0 in the bottom of the first, ORU stormed back. After
Oakland starter Mike Nakashima (1-4) issued a pair of one-out
walks,
Brian Van Kirk reached on an error to load the
bases. A fielder's choice ground out by Ryan
Groth scored ORU's first run, and Michael
Notaro followed Groth with his second home run of the day
– a three-run shot – to put ORU up, 4-3.
An RBI single by
Kelly Minissale in the second made it 5-3, and
ORU scored four more times in the fourth for a 9-3 advantage. Van
Kirk blasted his league-leading 12th home run of the season in the
inning, accounting for three of the runs.
After a rocky first inning Sullivan (7-2) settled down nicely,
allowing only three hits and one run over the next five innings. In
6.0 innings, Sullivan allowed four runs on six hits while striking
out six and walking three.
ORU managed just seven hits in game two, but took advantage of six
walks in Takashima's four innings of work. Groth led the way for
ORU with a 2-for-3 effort.
The Golden Eagles and Golden Grizzlies wrap up their four-game
series, 1 p.m., Sunday at J.L. Johnson Stadium.
--ORU--
