SPRINGFIELD,
Mo. -Five players collected two hits apiece but Oral Roberts
suffered a 6-5 loss to Missouri State on Sunday at Hammons Field.
Game two of what was rescheduled as a doubleheader after Saturday's
game was postponed, was cancelled.
The Golden
Eagles (8-9) led 1-0 after Joey
Winiecki's one-out bunt single scored Cam
Schiller in the top of the third.
But the
Bears (13-9) knocked around ORU starting pitcher Bryce
Smolen (2-2) for five runs in the bottom of the third. After
Derek Mattea's two-run home run with none out gave MSU a 2-1 lead,
Brock Chaffin ripped a two-out, three-run double for a 5-1 Bears
advantage, ending Smolen's day.
The Golden
Eagles slowly chipped away at the deficit, scoring single runs in
the fourth and fifth innings. Brandon
King belted a solo homer in the fourth to help ORU get within
5-2, and Nick
Baligod smacked an RBI double in the fifth as the Eagles
trimmed the score to 5-3.
It remained
a 5-3 game until the bottom of the seventh. Missouri State added
what proved to be an important insurance run when Kevin Medrano's
bunt single was misplayed for an error by Lars
Liguori, allowing Spiker Helms to score from second for a 6-3
lead.
ORU rallied
for a pair of runs in the top of the eighth. Baligod knocked in his
second run of the day with another double, getting ORU within 6-4,
and Chris
Elder plated a run two batters later with a grounder to first
as the Golden Eagles closed to 6-5.
But after
back-to-back walks to King and Spencer
Barnett loaded the bases, T.J.
Bennett struck out to end the threat. The Golden Eagles went
down in order in the ninth.
In all, ORU
left 13 runners on base, leaving the bases loaded in the sixth and
the eighth. King, Baligod, Winiecki, Barnett and Brandon
Healy each had two hits for the Golden Eagles.
Smolen
suffered the loss after allowing five runs (all earned) on four
hits and three walks in 2.2 innings. Grant Gordon (3-2) picked up
the win for the Bears after striking out six and allowing three
runs in five innings.
ORU returns
to action when they visit Texas, 6 p.m., Tuesday in Austin.
--ORU--
