The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 12 – South Dakota State 11
Records: ORU (34-17, 16-6), South Dakota State (21-20, 12-8)
Location: Brookings, S.D. (Erv Huether Field)
Win: Brooks Fowler (1-0) | Loss: Ryan Bourassa (2-3) | Save: Cade Denton (6)
 
BROOKINGS, S.D. – Behind a season-high four home runs, the Oral Roberts baseball team defeated Summit League foe South Dakota State in a slugfest, 12-11, Thursday afternoon in the series opener at Erv Huether Field.

Brooks Fowler picked up his first win of the season after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings in relief to go along with three strikeouts. Sophomore Cade Denton logged his sixth save of the year after striking out five in two scoreless frames. The Rowlett, Texas, native extended his scoreless inning streak to 27.2 in the outing.

Offensively, Joshua Cox and Alec Jones led the way for the Golden Eagles as they both went 4-for-5 at the dish and drove in two runs apiece. 

After SDSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, Holden Breeze sparked a five-run second inning for ORU as the redshirt sophomore launched a two-run homer over the left-field wall. The homer was Breeze's second in as many games and third of the season.

Jones kept it rolling in the frame as the redshirt sophomore plated Cox with an RBI single up the middle to push the lead to 3-1. Mac McCroskey tacked on the fourth run of the inning with an RBI single to center, which scored Connor Beichler. A wild pitch allowed Jones to cross the plate for the final run of the inning as ORU led 5-1. 

The Jackrabbits cut into the deficit, 5-2, in the bottom half of the frame with a solo shot to left.

In the third, Jones pushed the Golden Eagle lead back to four, 6-2, with an RBI single up the middle. 

Two solo home runs from SDSU cut the ORU lead down to 6-4 in the bottom half of the third. 

Jackson Loftin answered with a solo blast of his own in the fourth to stretch the ORU advantage to 7-4. The homer was the ninth of the season for Loftin and second on the road trip. In the same frame, Cox plated his first run of the afternoon as he brought home Dustin Demeter on an infield RBI single to make it 8-4, ORU.

Three runs came around to score for the Jackrabbits in the bottom half of the inning as they cut the Golden Eagles' advantage to one, 8-7. 

In the fifth, Jones crossed the plate on a passed ball to push the ORU lead to 9-7 but in the bottom half of the frame, the Jackrabbits leveled the score with a two-run homer. 

A Cox solo homer in the sixth put the Golden Eagles back in front, 10-9. The solo blast was the senior's fifth of the season. 

After a two-run double gave SDSU the lead, 11-10 in the sixth, Caleb Denny snatched it right back for ORU as the redshirt sophomore launched a two-run homer to center in the seventh. The homer was Denny's team-best 10th of the season and the fourth of the game for the Golden Eagles.

Fowler and Denton shut the door over the final three innings of the contest as ORU went on to win the series opener, 12-11.
 
Inside the Box Score
- The four homers were a season-high for ORU. 
- Cox (4), Jones (4) and McCroskey (2) registered multiple hits in the win.
- Cox (3), Jones (2) and Demeter (2) scored multiple runs in the victory.
- Loftin and McMurray totaled two walks apiece in the win. 
- Loftin swiped his 23rd bag of the season in the seventh. 
- Cox stole his 10th base of the season in the fourth. 
- Fowler worked 1.1 scoreless innings en route to his first career win.
- Denton closed out his sixth save of the year with two scoreless frames and five strikeouts.

Notes
- With the win, ORU improved to 68-19 all-time against the Jackrabbits. 
- On the season, the Golden Eagles are 4-0 against SDSU.
- Head Coach Ryan Folmar is now 40-11 in his career against the Jackrabbits.
- The victory moved ORU to 3-2 on the seven-game road trip.
- Denton has now thrown 27.2 consecutive scoreless innings.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles will go for the series win tomorrow as game two is set for 1 p.m.

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