The Basics 
Score: Oral Roberts 13 - Western Illinois 4
Records: ORU (27-16, 16-6) - WIU (13-28, 10-12)
Location: J.L. Johnson Stadium - Tulsa, Okla.
Box Score (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. - The Oral Roberts baseball team won its ninth straight game at J.L. Johnson Stadium Friday night, defeating Western Illinois, 13-4. It was a pitcher's duel up until the fourth inning when the Oral Roberts offense exploded for six runs to take control of the contest before cruising to the victory.

Three Golden Eagles went for a trio of hits led by freshman Trevor McCutchin who finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI to set career highs in all categories. Junior Nick Rotola continued his hot streak with three hits while Noah Cummings scored on each of his three base hits. 

Oral Roberts (27-16, 16-6) looked to get on the board early, but Ian Koch and the Leatherneck (13-28, 10-12) defense were able to turn two double plays in the first three innings to eliminate the ORU threats. It wasn't until the fourth that the ORU bats would come alive and strike for six base hits.

McCutchin, an Owasso, Oklahoma native would put ORU on top with a single to center field, scoring Cummings who singled earlier in the inning. Trevin Sonnier scored two more runs on his sixth double of the season while Brent Williams and Matt Whatley both picked up base hits to score two more runs. 

The offense stayed hot throughout the remainder of the game, scoring runs in each of the final innings. McCutchin doubled to right in the fifth to score Williams who led off the inning with a walk. 

Williams, a Colorado Springs, Colorado native then doubled down the right field line in the sixth, scoring Cummings from second. Rotola added a run in the seventh after he singled to center to plate Sonnier. 

Oral Roberts continued to swing the bat all the way into the eighth when the Golden Eagles went for four more runs on four hits. 

Bryce Howe was credited with the win after going six innings and giving up just one run on five hits. The right-hander improves to 4-3 on the year and has now eclipsed the 60 strikeout mark on the season after retiring six Leatherneck batters on K's. 

Grant Glaze and Korbin Polly finished the game for ORU. Polly allowed two runs in two and a third innings while Glaze allowed a run in two-thirds of an inning. 

Notables

• The Golden Eagles improve to 3-1 on the season against Western Illinois and 65-8 all-time in the series. 
• The team's 18 hits were one shy of tying its season high. ORU went for 19 base hits against SDSU and WIU on the road. 
• The game marked the first three hit game of the season for McCutchin. 
• ORU left nine runners on base to the Leathernecks' 10.
• The Golden Eagles outhit Western, 18-10, improving to 19-4 when outhitting its opponent. 
• Five Golden Eagles went for doubles including two each from Sonnier and McCutchin. 
• Ian Koch was charged with the loss and falls to 3-6 on the year. 

Up Next
The Golden Eagles and Western will play game two of the series Saturday at 2 p.m. Right-hander Nick will get the call on the mound while WIU will counter with Sam Cottingham-Beard. 

For the latest information on ORU baseball, follow @ORUBaseball on Twitter or go towww.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the Golden Eagles Front Row App at ORUAthletics.com/frontrow or in the App Store.

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