The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 18 – South Dakota State 7
Records: ORU (32-11, 17-1), South Dakota State (18-20, 10-8)
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (J.L. Johnson Stadium)
Win: Brooks Fowler (5-1) | Loss: Jake Goble (4-2)
 
TULSA, Okla. – Jake McMurray homered twice and the Oral Roberts baseball team run-ruled South Dakota State, 18-7, in seven innings Sunday afternoon to complete the three-game sweep from J.L. Johnson Stadium. 

The sweep marked the sixth of the season for the Golden Eagles, who have now won 22 of their last 25 contests.

In the win, nine different ORU players recorded a hit and five registered a multi-hit performance. McMurray led all players with a 3-for-5 day at the plate to go along with two home runs and three RBI. The multi-home run performance marked the senior's second of the weekend and career. 

Jonah Cox extended his hit streak to 27 games with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate and also drove in three RBI. Drew Stahl, Max Lucas, Sam Thompson and Blaze Brothers rounded out the multi-hit performers for the Golden Eagles.

On the mound, Brooks Fowler picked up his fifth win of the season after allowing four runs over five innings of work. The sophomore also struck out seven Jackrabbits on the day. 

After a scoreless first, ORU broke through on the scoreboard in the second with an eight-run frame. Stahl opened the scoring with an RBI double to left-center and later came around to score on a Sam Thompson RBI single as the Golden Eagles led 2-0. Following a sacrifice fly from Justin Quinn, Cox blasted a three-run homer over the left-center fence to stretch the ORU advantage to 6-0. The long ball marked the eighth of the season for the junior. 

On the next pitch, Mac McCroskey belted a solo homer to right-center to increase the lead to 7-0. The long ball marked the 12th of the season for the redshirt senior. Stahl capped the frame with an RBI double to left-center as the Golden Eagles led 8-0. 

After the Jackrabbits got a run back on a solo shot in the top of the third, ORU responded in the bottom half of the frame with six runs to push its advantage to 14-1. A wild pitch allowed Jacob Godman to score the first run of the inning before McMurray launched his first homer of the afternoon, a two-run shot to left-center. Following back-to-back walks, Holden Breeze and Stahl recorded back-to-back RBI groundouts to increase the advantage to 13-1. 

Thompson plated the final run of the frame with an RBI single down the right-field line, marking his second RBI of the day.

The ORU offense continued to roll in the fourth as McMurray led off the frame with a solo shot over the left-center wall. The long ball marked the senior's second of the day and fourth of the weekend. Later in the frame, a pair of RBI singles from Breeze and pinch-hitter Max Lucas upped the lead to 17-1. 

In the fifth, SDSU plated three runs courtesy of an RBI single and a two-run homer to trim the advantage to 17-4.

After the Jackrabbits tacked on another run in the sixth, Lucas responded in the bottom half of the frame with an RBI double down the left-field line. Despite allowing two more runs in the seventh, the Golden Eagles went on to win in run-rule fashion, 18-7.

Inside the Box Score
- ORU totaled 18 runs on 16 hits in the win.
- Nine different Golden Eagles recorded a hit and five registered a multi-hit performance. 
- In the win, ORU picked up eight extra-base hits.
- The Golden Eagles also totaled seven walks, led by a game-best three from McCroskey.
- Six different ORU players recorded multiple RBI. 
- McMurray led all players with three hits and two homers.
- Cox swiped his 22nd and 23rd stolen bases of the season.
- McCroskey stole his 12th bag of the season and scored a game-best four runs. 
- Fowler struck out seven in five innings of work. 
- Caleb Isaacs recorded a scoreless appearance in relief. 

Notes
- Sunday's contest marked the 93rd meeting all-time between the two programs.
- With the win, ORU is now 73-20 all-time against the Jackrabbits and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings. 
- In Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Golden Eagles are 47-9 against SDSU.
- The sweep marked the sixth of the season for ORU. 
- The Golden Eagles have now won 22 of their last 25 contests. 
- Cox stretched his hit streak to 27 games and has now recorded a hit in 42 of the 43 contests this season.
- The multi-hit performance marked his 23rd of the season.
- McMurray logged his third straight multi-hit performance and earned his 125th consecutive start. 
- With four homers on the day, the Golden Eagles pushed their season total to 75, which ranks 10th all-time in program history.

Up Next
ORU remains home at J.L. Johnson Stadium as they host No. 17 Oklahoma State in midweek action on Tuesday, May 2 at 6 p.m. Following the game, the ORU Athletics Department will host a firework show. 

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.

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