TULSA-Oral Roberts left 12 runners on base in suffering a 6-2 loss to SIU-Edwardsville, Sunday at J.L. Johnson Stadium.

The Golden Eagles (3-4) were just 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and grounded into a pair of double plays, while the Cougars (1-5) banged out 11 hits. Edwardsville jumped on ORU starter Bryce Smolen (1-1) for a pair of runs in the first inning and never looked back.

Chase Green led off the game with a single for the Cougars and moved to third on a double by Mitch Matecki. Both runners scored on a single by Joel Greatting and the Cougars led 2-0.

Smolen settled down and retired the next eight batters before allowing a leadoff home run to Greatting in the third inning as the Cougars made it 3-0.

After wasting scoring opportunities in the fourth and sixth innings, ORU finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh. Brandon King laced a run scoring single with two outs to get the Golden Eagles within 3-1, but that was as close as ORU got.

Greatting struck again for the Cougars in the top of the eighth with a sacrifice fly and Matt Highland knocked in a run for a 5-1 lead. An unearned run also scored on Highland's hit when rightfielder Nick Baligod overran the ball.

Travis Felax (1-0) picked up the win for Edwardsville, scattering five hits over five shutout innings.

Smolen was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs on six hits in 5.2 innings of work.

ORU managed nine hits, with Brett Sowers and Chris Williams each collecting a pair.

Greatting finished 2-for-3 with four RBI to lead the Cougars.

ORU returns to action when they face Memphis in the opening game of the Memphis Classic, 4:30 p.m., Friday at FedEx Park in Memphis, Tenn.

--ORU--