The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 16 – Western Illinois 5
Records: ORU (18-9, 4-0), Western Illinois (3-18, 0-1)
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (J.L. Johnson Stadium)
Win: Caleb Isaacs (3-0) | Loss: Eric Cunning (0-1)
 
TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts baseball team run-ruled Summit League foe Western Illinois, 16-5, in seven innings Friday night in the series opener from J.L. Johnson Stadium. With the victory, ORU has won eight of its last nine contests.

Caleb Isaacs improved to 3-0 on the season after throwing 1.1 scoreless innings in relief. On the offensive end, Jake McMurray and Justin Quinn each plated three runs, while Jonah Cox went 2-for-2 with an RBI and four runs scored.

Quinn jumpstarted a seven-run first inning for ORU with a solo homer to left. The long ball was the senior's first of the 2023 campaign. Following a Cox walk, Matt Hogan blasted a two-run homer over the left-center field wall to extend the Golden Eagle advantage to 3-0. 

After Mac McCroskey scored the fourth run of the frame on a balk, Holden Breeze pushed the lead to 5-0 with an RBI double down the left-field line. Breeze came around to score courtesy of back-to-back wild pitches as ORU's advantage increased to 6-0. Later in the inning, McMurray brought home the Golden Eagles' seventh run with an RBI single to left.

In the second, Cox stretched the ORU lead to 8-0 with a solo homer to left-center. The long ball was the junior's second of the season.

McMurray added to the Golden Eagle advantage in the third with an RBI double that brought around Blaze Brothers, who reached on a walk.

After the Leathernecks scored a pair of runs in the fourth to cut the lead to 9-2, McCroskey got a run back for ORU in the bottom half of the frame with a sacrifice fly.

In the fifth, a three-run homer by Western Illinois trimmed the Golden Eagle advantage to 10-5.

ORU responded with six runs in the sixth to make the final 16-5. In the frame, Stahl, Breeze, Jacob Godman, McMurray and Quinn each recorded an RBI.

Inside the Box Score
- ORU tallied 16 runs on 13 hits in the win.
- Breeze, Cox, Hogan, McMurray, Quinn and Stahl each recorded a multi-hit performance.
- The Golden Eagles totaled six extra-base hits in the win.
- ORU drew a season-high 11 walks, led by three apiece from Cox and Hogan.
- McMurray and Quinn each drove in a game-high tying three runs on the night.
- Cox scored a game-high four times and stole a season-best three bases.
- Jakob Hall drew the start for ORU and allowed five runs over four innings.
- Evan Kowalski struck out two in 1.2 innings of work.

Notes
- Friday's series opener marked the 106th meeting all-time between the two clubs.
- With the win, ORU improves to 88-18 all-time against the Leathernecks and has won seven straight.
- At J.L. Johnson Stadium, the Golden Eagles are now 51-5 all-time against Western Illinois.
- With the win, ORU is off to its best 27-game start since 2017.
- The Golden Eagles have now scored double-digit runs in five of their last nine contests.
- ORU is off to its first 4-0 start in Summit League play since 2019.
- Cox has now recorded a hit in 26 of the 27 games this season and reached base safely in 11 straight.
- The junior also totaled his team-leading 16th multi-hit game of the year.
- Brothers extended his on-base streak to 19 straight games.
- Breeze has now reached base in 14 consecutive games.
- McMurray pushed his on-base streak to 10 straight games and has made 109 consecutive starts.

Up Next
ORU will go for the series win against the Leathernecks tomorrow at 2 p.m.

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 the ORU Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play Store.

#GoldenStandard