MIAMI,
Fla.-Lammar Guy singled home the winning run with two outs in the
bottom of the ninth to help Florida International to a 10-9 win
over Oral Roberts, Saturday at FIU Baseball Stadium.
ORU (0-2)
couldn't hold a 7-1 lead as the Golden Panthers (5-0) scored nine
of their 10 runs in the final three innings.
Colby Price
(Brenham, Texas) got ORU on the board in the top of the second with
a three-run home run. Tyler Saladino (San Diego, Calif.) made it
4-0 with a solo home run in the top of the third.
After
Florida International scored a run in the bottom of the third to
make it 4-1, ORU responded with two runs in the top of the fifth.
The first run scored via an error by the left fielder and Chris
Elder (Suisun City, Calif.) followed with a sacrifice fly for a 6-1
lead.
Elder plated
another run with an RBI ground out in the top of the seventh,
giving the Golden Eagles a 7-1 lead.
But FIU
battled back against ORU starter Jeff Burleson (Bakersfield,
Calif.), scoring four runs in the bottom of the seventh to chase
Burleson from the game. The big blow was a two-run double by Raiko
Alfonso, which cut ORU's lead to 7-5.
The Golden
Panthers scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth against
relievers Bryce Smolen (Houston, Texas) and Spencer Roberts
(Littleton, Colo.). A three-run homer by pinch-hitter Rudy Flores
gave FIU an 8-7 lead. Another run scored on a throwing error as FIU
went up 9-7.
ORU rallied
in the top of the ninth thanks to poor defense and pitching by the
Golden Panthers. Pinch runner Nikko Wong (Cedar Grove, N.J.) scored
on a fielding error with one out and Jared Schlehuber (Aurora,
Colo.) drove in the tying run with a bases-loaded walk three
batters later.
In the
bottom of the inning Roberts (0-1) retired the first two batters
before allowing a double, a stolen base and the game-winning hit by
Guy.
The Golden
Eagles banged out 11 hits. P.J. Sequeira (Petaluma, Calif.) led the
way with four hits and three runs, while Price finished with three
hits.
ORU and
Florida International play the final game of their three-game
series, 12 p.m., Sunday.
--ORU--
