TULSA-Dallas
Beeler and
Jeff Burleson combined on a
six-hitter in the opener and
Bryce Smolen struck out a
career-high 12 batters in the nightcap as Oral Roberts swept a
Summit League doubleheader from North Dakota State, Friday at J.L.
Johnson Stadium. The Golden Eagles won the opener 13-3 via run
rule, and took the second game by a 4-1 score.
The wins improve ORU to 32-24 overall and 19-8 in the Summit
League. With a win in Saturday's series finale, the Golden Eagles
will clinch at least a share of their 12th consecutive regular
season title.
Game One - ORU 13, North
Dakota State 3
With ORU trailing 2-0 entering the bottom of the third, catcher Brett
Burch started a six-run rally with a solo home run down the
left-field line. Joey
Winiecki and
P.J. Sequeira followed with
singles. After a groundout and a walk,
Seth Furmanek knocked home
Winiecki and Sequeira with a long single, giving ORU a 3-2
lead.
Chris Elder and
Brett Sowers each had
RBI hits, and Colby
Price knocked in the final run with a sacrifice bunt as ORU
went ahead 6-2.
After a rocky start Beeler (2-0) settled down, retiring the final
eight batters he faced before leaving at the end of five innings
due to pitch count. Beeler, who is recovering from Tommy John
surgery last May, struck out a season-high seven batters.
Price belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh for an
8-2 lead. The Bison cut the lead to 8-3 in the top of the eighth
before ORU scored five in the bottom of the frame to end the game.
Saladino cranked a two-run homer, Price doubled in two runs with
two outs and later scored the game-ending run on NDSU shortstop Max
Casper's throwing error on an infield single by Winiecki.
Burleson relieved Beeler to start the sixth and allowed one run on
two hits over three innings to earn his second save.
Price finished the game 3-for-5 with five RBI, while Winiecki,
Sequeira and Elder each had two hits.
McHale Maristuen (1-8) started and took the loss for NDSU (21-30,
10-16).
Game Two - ORU 4, North
Dakota State 1
Smolen went the distance for the Golden Eagles, allowing four hits
in tossing his fifth complete game of the season. ORU won despite
getting only five hits and stranding nine runners as NDSU pitching
issued seven free passes.
The game was scoreless until ORU plated a pair of runs in the
fourth.
Chris Elder led off with a
double and reached third when Bison right fielder Nic Obey dropped
Robert Barbosa's fly ball.
Price scored Elder with a sacrifice fly, and Winiecki looped a
single to center two batters later to knock in Barbosa for a 2-0
lead.
In the fifth Furmanek laced an RBI single for a 3-0 lead and
pinch-runner
Justin Mitchell scored on a
wild pitch in the sixth for a 4-0 lead.
Smolen cruised through the Bison lineup, at one point retiring
eight straight batters between the third and sixth innings. In the
seventh he struck out two of the first three batters he faced, but
a walk, two wild pitches and a two-out infield single by Michael
Riewer gave NDSU its only run.
Mark Hermes (1-3) took the loss for NDSU, allowing two runs and
four walks in four innings.
The Golden Eagles and Bison wrap up their series and the regular
season at 2 p.m., Saturday.
--ORU--
