FT. WAYNE, Ind.-Oral Roberts set three school records in a 34-10
Summit League victory IPFW in the opening game of a doubleheader,
Friday at Mastodon Field.
ORU (23-17 overall, 10-2 Summit) set single-game marks for runs,
hits (34) and runs in an inning (15 in the eighth) en route to its
most lopsided victory of the season. The Golden Eagles blasted nine
home runs --one shy of the school record - and six players knocked
in three or more runs.
Seth Furmanek started the
home run parade with a two-run homer in the top of the first
inning. Tyler
Saladino blasted a grand slam in the second for a 6-0 lead.
IPFW's Shaun VanDriessche smacked a solo home run in the bottom of
the second to pull the Mastodons within 6-1, but the Golden Eagles
answered by erupting in the top of the third.
Nick Baligod hit a solo
homer while Brett
Sowers and Saladino each added two-run blasts and Furmanek
tacked on a solo shot as part of a seven-run outburst which gave
ORU a 13-1 lead.
ORU extended its lead to 19-1 with six more runs in the top of the
fourth.
Tyler Garewal and Baligod
each connected for a three-run homers as the Golden Eagles all but
put the game out of reach.
IPFW (10-30, 6-7) fought back with two runs in the fourth and four
in the sixth off ORU starter
Jameson Dunn (3-1), pulling
to within 19-7. A pair of solo home runs and an RBI single in the
bottom of the seventh made it 19-10 and kept the game alive.
The Golden Eagles erupted again in the top of the eighth, scoring
15 runs as 20 batters went to the plate.
Jeremiah Mejia blasted
a three-run home - the first of his career - while Sowers knocked
in four with a pair of two-run hits. Bennett
Pickar drove in three with a single and sacrifice fly and
Saladino knocked in a pair with a single. Baligod,
Colby Price, and P.J.
Sequeira each knocked in a run.
Dunn picked up the win for ORU despite allowing 10 runs in seven
innings. The senior right-hander did strike out a career-high 12
batters but he also surrendered five home runs.
Baligod and Pickar had five hits apiece while Saladino, Sowers and
Price each had four. Garewal, Mejia, Saladino, Furmanek, Baligod,
Sowers and Pickar all drove in at least three runs. Saladino
finished the game 4-for-7 with eight RBI and four runs, while
Pickar was 5-for-6 with three RBI and three runs.
Nick Opitz (3-3) suffered the loss for IPFW.
--ORU--
