The Basics
Game One: North Dakota State 6 – Oral Roberts 3 (12)
Game Two: Oral Roberts 5 – North Dakota State 4
Records: ORU (8-13, 1-1 Summit), NDSU (15-5, 4-2 Summit)
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (J.L. Johnson Stadium)
 
TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts baseball team kicked off Summit League play on Friday evening, splitting a doubleheader with North Dakota State at J.L. Johnson Stadium. The Golden Eagles walked it off against the Bison in game two when Ryan Cash drew a bases loaded walk in the seventh inning.
 
Game one of the twin bill went twelve innings before North Dakota State salvaged the win. Oral Roberts got on the board in the first inning, when Jake McMurray singled up the middle to plate Joshua Cox.
 
North Dakota State got their scoring going in the fifth inning when they managed to push across three runs. The Golden Eagles got a pair of runs in the eighth inning to tie the game at three apiece.
 
Anthony Martinez singled on the seventh pitch of his at-bat to score Blake Shannon before McMurray scored Martinez on a fielder's choice.
 
The Bison added three runs in the twelfth inning, before closing the door on the Golden Eagles in the first game of the day.
 
The night cap began the same way that game one did for the Golden Eagles. ORU got on the board with a run in the first inning when Joshua Cox hit a sacrifice fly to score McMurray. North Dakota State added runs in the second and third innings to take a 3-1 lead.
 
ORU got their offense going in the fourth inning when Martinez singled to center field, scoring Jordan Wiley. In the fifth inning, Hunter Swift kept the wheels rolling when he roped a double just inside the left field line, driving in Caleb Denny.
 
NDSU got a run back in the top of the seventh inning to push the Golden Eagles backs against the wall, heading into their last at-bats.
 
Brody Gibson knocked a single through the right side, allowing Hunter Swift to reach third. The hustle play from Swift forced the third baseman to attempt a tag. On the swipe, the ball trickled away, allowing Swift to score from third and Gibson to advance to second. Shannon and Martinez both drew walks to load the bases, before Blake Hall entered the game as a pinch-runner for Gibson.
 
Ryan Cash drew a bases-loaded walk to end the contest as Oral Roberts walked it off against the Bison, 5-4.
 
Game One Turning Point
Zach Solano ripped a two-run double to left-center field in the twelfth inning to cement the lead for North Dakota State. In the bottom half of the frame, the Bison sent Golden Eagle hitters down in order to close out the contest.
 
Game Two Turning Point
A misplayed tag on Gibson's seventh inning single, which allowed Swift to score from third made all the difference in the ballgame. Not only was Swift safe on a close play at third, he managed to score on the play and Gibson advanced to second on the throw to the plate.
 
Inside The Game One Box Score

• The Golden Eagles have only played two extra-inning games all season – Both coming on the front end of a doubleheader.
• Cade Denton threw 5.2 innings in relief, striking out eight North Dakota State hitters. Denton set a career-best in both innings pitch and strikeouts.
• As a pitching staff, ORU struck out 19 Bison hitters.
• Joshua Cox was the lone Golden Eagle to tally multiple hits in the contest.
• Caleb Denny drew a pair of walks in the first game of the doubleheader.
• Bradan Pierce's streak of scoreless innings came to a close in the contest, finishing with 11.2.

Inside The Game Two Box Score

• The Golden Eagles remained perfect in the second game on doubleheaders this season.
• Denny recorded three hits in the game – the second time this season he has accomplished the feat.
• After getting base hits in both games, Denny extends his hitting streak to seven games, tying his own mark as the team-high in 2021.
• Isaac Coffey and Adam Scoggins combined to strikeout 10 Bison hitters through seven innings.
• Scoggins earned his second win of the season on the mound.

Up Next
On Saturday, ORU and North Dakota State will once again square off at J.L. Johnson Stadium. First pitch between the Bison and Golden Eagles will be thrown at 2 pm and can be seen on the ORU Sports Network.
 
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.