The Basics
Score: Oral Roberts 15 – Saint Louis 7
Records: ORU (3-2), Saint Louis (1-3)
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (J.L. Johnson Stadium)
Win: Isaac Coffey (1-1) | Loss: Logan Schmidt (1-1) 
 
TULSA, Okla. – Caleb Denny, Justin Quinn and Blake Shannon tallied three RBIs apiece and the Oral Roberts baseball team defeated Saint Louis, 15-7, in the series opener of a two-game set Sunday afternoon at J.L. Johnson Stadium.

After the Billikens scored three in the third to tie the game, 3-3, Quinn drove home his third run of the day with an RBI single to right to put the Golden Eagles back in front for good. 

Six different Golden Eagles logged a multi-hit game, while the team registered a season-best 18 hits in the win. ORU tallied four triples on the afternoon after entering the contest with zero on the season. All nine starters in the batting order recorded a hit and seven plated a run.

Starter Isaac Coffey picked up his first win of the season, tossing six innings and striking out five. Brett Gregory tossed two innings in relief, allowing an unearned run. Sam Rainwater came on in the ninth to nail down the win, striking out two in the frame.

Denny and the Golden Eagles struck first as the sophomore laced a triple into the right-center gap, plating Mac McCroskey to make it 1-0 in the bottom of the first. Following an Alec Jones walk, Quinn roped the second triple of the inning to right field scoring both Denny and Jones to stretch the lead to 3-0.

ORU tacked on three more runs in the fourth to stretch their lead to 7-3. Jackson Loftin reached base on a hit-by-pitch to open the inning and later scored on the third Golden Eagle triple of the afternoon, this time off the bat of Holden Breeze. Shannon followed with an RBI single and later came around to score on a Denny single through the right side.

Breeze plated his second run of the day in the fifth, driving in Loftin on an RBI single to center to push the lead to 8-3.

The Billikens got three runs back in the top of the sixth as back-to-back doubles trimmed the lead to 8-6.

ORU answered with three in the bottom of the sixth as Denny registered his third RBI of the game on a single up the middle and Loftin later brought him around to score on a two-run double to left, extending the lead to 11-6.

Joshua Cox reached on an infield single with one out in the seventh and McCroskey drove him home with the Golden Eagles' fourth triple of the day. A sacrifice fly by Jones scored McCroskey to make it 13-6, ORU. 

A passed ball in the eighth allowed the Billikens to get a run back but Shannon immediately answered with a two-run double in the bottom of the frame to make the final 15-7.

Inside the Box Score
- McCroskey's 3-for-5 day was his fourth multi-hit game of the year and third three-hit performance.
- McCroskey has now registered a hit in all five ORU games this season.
- Breeze, Loftin and Shannon tallied their second multi-hit games of 2022.
- Denny finished the day 3-for-4 from the plate, logging his second three-hit performance of the year.
- The three RBIs for Shannon were a career-high.
- Denny recorded his first stolen base of the year, while Loftin swiped his second. 
- ORU scored multiple runs in five of the nine innings.
- The Golden Eagles recorded four doubles and four triples on the afternoon.

Notes
- This was the 32nd meeting all-time between the Golden Eagles and Billikens. 
- ORU now owns a 27-5 advantage in the series with the win.
- At J.L. Johnson Stadium, the Golden Eagles improved to 19-2 all-time against Saint Louis with the win.
- Head Coach Ryan Folmar is now 3-4 in his career against the Billikens.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles will play a doubleheader tomorrow at J.L. Johnson Stadium as they host Saint Louis at 2:00 p.m. followed by Wright State at approximately 5:30 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.