BROOKINGS,
S.D.-South Dakota State scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth
for a 12-11 victory over Oral Roberts in a Summit League series
opener, Friday Erv Huether Field.
With one out
and runners on the corners, Hannowski hit a slow roller to third
baseman Brett
Sowers, who double-clutched before throwing home. Eric Cain
slid under catcher Bennett
Pickar's tag to give the Jackrabbits (28-15 overall, 11-6
Summit) the win on what was, in many ways, a miserable
afternoon.
Playing in
weather conditions which included sub-30 degree wind chills, 35 mph
winds and repeated intermittent rain showers, the Golden Eagles
(26-19, 13-4) couldn't hold leads of 3-0, 7-2 and 11-9.
The Golden
Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Nick
Baligod doubled in Joey
Winiecki for the first run and Seth Furmanek followed with
a two-run home run, his league-leading 16th of the season.
South Dakota
State cut into ORU's lead with two runs in the bottom of the
fourth. Daniel Telford homered for the first run and the second run
scored on a ground ball double play.
ORU appeared
to gain some distance in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs
for a 7-2 lead. Sowers knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly and Colby
Price followed two batters later with a three-run homer, his
eighth of the season.
But ORU
starter Jameson Dunn couldn't hold
the lead in the bottom of the inning. Zach Briggs led off the
inning with a solo home run to make it 7-3. Billy Stitz doubled in
a run and Telford knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly. Cain
blooped a double to centerfield for two more runs as the Jacks
pulled within 7-6.
Joel Blake
capped the scoring with a two-run single for a 9-7 lead.
The Golden
Eagles came right back with four runs in the top of the sixth. Chris
Elder connected for a three-run homer and Sowers added a solo
home run to make it 11-9.
South Dakota
State scratched across a run in the seventh and the game remained
11-10 until the bottom of the ninth.
Sean Johnson (2-2)
started the ninth for the Golden Eagles and promptly hit lead-off
batter Jesse Sawyer. John Lee moved Sawyer to second with a ground
out, and Sawyer scored the tying run on a single by Cain.
Briggs moved
Cain over to third with a single, setting up Hannowski's
grounder.
Trever
Vermeulen (5-1) earned the win with 1.2 innings of shutout relief.
South Dakota State collected 16 hits, with Sawyer and Briggs
getting three each.
ORU banged
out 12 hits. Nick Baligod, Furmanek,
Elder, Sowers and Pickar had two each.
The teams
are scheduled for a 12 noon doubleheader on Saturday.
--ORU--
