The Basics
Games #15
Oral Roberts (10-4, 0-0) vs. Missouri State (5-9, 0-0)
Dates: Mar. 11^th | 3:00 PM
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (Chapman Park)
Watch: ESPN+ | Behind the Mic: Connor Clark | Live Stats: Missouri State Athletics
 
TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts baseball team hits the road for the first time since February 21^st-23^rd to face the Missouri State Bears for the final time this season.
 
The Golden Eagles won in dramatic fashion last time out against the Bears erasing a 5-0 first-inning deficit and walking them off in the tenth with a Cooper Combs walk-off single.
 
Oral Roberts is fresh off a sweep of Southern Indiana this past weekend tying their longest win streak of the year at four games.  The Golden Eagles grabbed a pair of one-run victories, both in come-from-behind fashion, despite being outhit in all three games.
 
Combs is tied for the team lead with Martell Davis with three homers and holds the outright lead in RBIs with 18.  RHP Nathan Love also put together one of his best starts of the season on Saturday tossing 6.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts.

The lasting  meeting between these two started with a 5-0 lead for Missouri State after the opening frame.  ORU would score seven unanswered to take a two run lead to the ninth but the Bears would send it extras with a two-run homer.  The Golden Eagles would sit down the Bears 1-2-3 in the top of the 10th and walked it off with an RBI single in the bottom half to grab the win.
 
The Bears are currently on a three-game slide after being swept at Wichita State, losing 7-5, 4-2, and 9-8. They've been 3-4 since coming to Chapman Park. Tuesday's game starts a stretch of 11 of the next 13 games at home for Missouri State.
 
 
Pitching Matchup: 
RHP Conner Johnson (0-0, 5.40) vs. TBD
 
Inside the Series:
ORU trails the all-time series with Missouri State 13-25.  The Golden Eagles broke a three-game losing streak to the Bear with the 8-7 walk-off win on February 25th.  Oral Roberts is 8-11 on the road against the Bears and is 4-6 in their last 10 games with Missouri State. 
 
Quick Hits: 

• Oral Roberts has tied its longest win streak of the season at four games following the sweep of Southern Indiana
• The Golden Eagles look for the season sweep over the Bears on the road Tuesday night
• ORU is 9-2 when scoring at least five runs

 
Scouting the Opponent: 
The Missouri State Bears enter Tuesday's contest with a 5-9 record, 3-1 at home, and are riding a three-game slide. Since Feb. 25th, they have been 3-4. 
 
Missouri State is led by the pre-season Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year (D1 Baseball) Caden Bogenpohl.  The 6'6" outfielder leads the team in batting average at .385, three homers, and an OPS of 1.137.  Jake McCutcheon is also off to a good start offensively hitting .309 with two homers and tied for the team lead with 12 runs driven in.
 
Owen Slater got the nod to start last time out against ORU. He pitched 2.2 innings, surrendering six hits, four runs, one earned, one walk, and striking out one. Most recently, he pitched 3.1 shutout innings at Wichita State on March 8th, striking out three.
 
Freshman RHP Michael Yusypchuck headlines the Bears' pitching staff.  Through 21.1 innings he had an ERA of 2.91 giving up 19 hits, seven earned runs, seven walks, and struck out 27.
 
The Bears average 6.7 runs per game and give up an average of 6.7 runs per game.  Missouri State's team batting average is .262 with 17 homers and 89 RBIs.  The pitching staff's ERA sits at 6.44 with a WHIP of 1.44 in 117.1 innings of work.  They've allowed 132 hits, 94 runs, 84 of them earned, 61 walks, and have struck out 138.

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.