The Basics
Oral Roberts 6 –
Air Force 3
ORU (4-6, 0-0) –
AF (2-6, 0-0)
Location: Horner Ballpark (Dallas, TX)
Win:
Nathan Love (1-0),
Loss: Gaines Estridge (0-1),
Save:
Braydon Sanford (S, 1)
DALLAS, Texas – The Oral Roberts baseball team took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and went on to secure a 6-3 win over Air Force on Friday afternoon.
Offensively, the Golden Eagles were led by
Makani Tanaka's two hits, both for extra bases, including a double and a home run.
Tyler Brodrick also put together a noteworthy performance, going 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBIs.
Cooper Combs chipped in as well, recording two hits in five trips to the plate and driving in two runs.
The Golden Eagles got on the board immediately, scoring one run in the top of the first inning. ORU plated its first run on an RBI single from Combs, scoring Tanaka, who had doubled and advanced to third on an error.
After the Falcons rallied to tie the game at 1-1 in the fifth inning, the Golden Eagles responded by retaking the lead in the sixth. The ORU offense erupted for four runs, beginning with Tanaka's 402-foot solo home run to left-center field.
ORU added three more runs in the inning on an RBI single by Davis and a two-run double off the bat of Brodrick, extending the Golden Eagles' lead to 5-1.
The Falcons narrowed ORU's lead to 5-3 before the Golden Eagles stretched the advantage to 6-3 in the ninth inning on a Combs RBI groundout.
Nathan Love (1-0) started on the mound and earned the win for Oral Roberts. The right-hander went five innings, allowing one run on two hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
Braydon Sanford closed out the game to earn his first save of the season, throwing the final inning without allowing a run or a hit and striking out one.
Maddox Thornton also made an impact on the mound, tossing two shutout innings while allowing one hit with no walks and two strikeouts.
Air Force starter Gaines Estridge (0-1) was charged with the loss after throwing 5.1 innings and allowing five earned runs on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout.
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will wrap up play in Texas by taking on Dallas Baptist on Saturday at 3:05 p.m.
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