Box Score | Season Stats

The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 8 – North Dakota State 7
Records: ORU (18-17, 9-7 SL) – NDSU (9-18, 7-9 SL)
Location: Fargo, N.D. (Newman Outdoor Field)

FARGO, N.D. – The Oral Roberts baseball team held off a late rally by North Dakota State to secure an 8-7 win in the opening game of a Summit League weekend series Friday night at Newman Outdoor Stadium.

Base runners in all nine innings, including at least one hit in seven frames, helped the Golden Eagles jump out to a 7-3 advantage and a late insurance run was enough to down the Bison. ORU got hits from eight of its starters and multi-hit efforts by four players, but used four sacrifice flies to plate runners in scoring position.

Spencer Henson struck out two Bison in the ninth inning with the tying run in scoring position for his team-leading fifth save of the season.

Quote of the Day

"We hung in there just long enough. It wasn't pretty, but we had some big hits with two outs. We left a couple of runs out there, but any time you score eight runs on the road against a team that can pitch; that's pretty good." – Head Coach Ryan Folmar

Turning Point

After NDSU scored three times to even the score, 3-3, in the fourth, ORU quickly responded by putting up two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to regain its advantage on the road. Three-straight hits with two outs against the Bison bullpen in the fifth frame put the Golden Eagles in front, highlighted by a RBI triple from Hunter Swift. Riley Keizor sent a RBI single to right stretching the lead before two more runs came home the next inning as ORU moved ahead 7-3.

Inside the Box Score

- Anthony Martinez recorded just one official at-bat, which went for a lead-off double in the ninth, as the junior brought home two runs on sacrifice flies in the second and fourth frames. The Pryor, Oklahoma, native also drew a pair of walks totaling five productive plate appearances on the night.

- Jake McMurray and Swift produced in the bottom of the lineup as each player posted two hits and two runs. Swift had one of two extra-base hits for the Golden Eagles lining a stand-up triple to the wall in right center in the fifth and also walked twice to reach base three times.

- Hunter Wilson put together a 3-for-6 effort at the plate hitting three singles and scored a run, while Isaac Coffey went 2-for-5. Andrew Pace scored twice and added a RBI getting hit by a pitch in the sixth and Riley Keizor tallied two RBI.

- Josh McMinn tossed 4.2 innings in the start allowing three runs and struck out seven, moving up to seventh in program history with 266 career strikeouts. AJ Archambo pitched 2.2 from the bullpen earning the victory before Trevor McCutchin and Henson finished out the win.

Up Next

The Golden Eagles and Bison finish the weekend Summit League series in a doubleheader starting Saturday at 1 p.m. at Newman Outdoor Field.

For the latest information on ORU Baseball, follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading two mobile apps, ORU Golden Eagles Live and ORU Front Row, available on the App Store and Google Play.

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