The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 17, Omaha 12
Records: ORU (26-19, 17-5 Summit), UNO (19-22, 11-11 Summit)
Location: Omaha, Neb. (Tal Anderson Field)
 
OMAHA, Neb. –  An offensive explosion by the Oral Roberts baseball team in the ninth inning spoiled the dedication of Tal Anderson Field on Saturday night with a 17-12 victory in Omaha.

By the end of the third inning, the Golden Eagles had jumped out to a 8-1 lead over the Mavericks. The scoring opened in the first with two runs, highlighted by a double by Blake Hall to score Ryan Cash. In the second, Joshua Cox picked up a run-scoring double of his own to push ORU to a 3-0 lead.

After Omaha hit a solo home run in the second, the Golden Eagles responded with five runs of their own. Three consecutive RBI singles from Alec Jones, Anthony Martinez, and Cox set the tone for the frame before Cash doubled to score a pair.

Omaha got a run back in the fourth on another solo home run, but Caleb Denny responded in the fifth with his second RBI of the day – A double down the right field line.

A pair of singles from Jordan Wiley and Adam Oviedo each drove in a run in the seventh inning to push ORU's lead to nine. The wheels quickly became to fall off the bus for ORU as Omaha scored six runs in the seventh and four runs in the eighth inning to take a 12-11 advantage over the Golden Eagles.

Wiley got the compass swung back towards the ORU dugout when he launched a two-run home run in the ninth inning to retake the lead. Two batters later, Jones decided to put a ball into orbit for his second home run of the weekend, making it a 15-12 ORU lead.

Martinez followed suit and hit went back-to-back with Jones for the third ORU home run of the inning. The last time the Golden Eagles launched three home runs in an inning? In Omaha against the Mavericks on March 25, 2018.

Cash capped off the scoring for the Golden Eagles with a single to left field, scoring Jake McMurray.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Adam Scoggins came in and got the Mavericks to fly out to left field, strike out looking, and ground out to shortstop to end the ballgame.

Turning Point
Three ninth inning home runs from Jordan Wiley, Alec Jones, and Anthony Martinez provided five of the six ninth inning runs for the Golden Eagles and rejuvenated the energy in the dugout.

Inside the Box Score 

• The magic number is down to one for Oral Roberts. With a win on Sunday or a North Dakota State loss, the Golden Eagles will clinch the 2021 Summit League regular season title.
• Each of the nine players in ORU's starting lineup had at least one hit in the game.
• Eight different players drove in a run for the Golden Eagles.
• Bradan Pierce picked up his first win in an ORU uniform.
• Ryan Cash, Alec Jones, and Jordan Wiley combined to go 12-16 at the plate with nine runs batted in and seven runs scored.
• Cash, Jones, and Wiley each totaled four hits in the game. As a team, ORU had only pieced together six four-hit games this season.
• The three ninth inning home runs marked the first time ORU had hit three long balls in an inning since March 25, 2018.
• Wiley and Jones each blasted their second home run of the weekend.
• 22 hits in the contest marks a new single-game high for ORU this season. Their previous best was 21 on April 17 against North Dakota State.

Up Next
Due to expected weather in the Omaha area, Sunday's game has been moved up to a 12 pm first pitch. The Golden Eagles look for their first sweep of an opponent on the road since April of 2019.
 
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