Jackrabbits go 0-3 versus Golden Eagles

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TULSA, Okla. – Oral Roberts scored five times in the bottom of the sixth inning and went on to defeat South Dakota State, 6-2, Sunday afternoon in the finale of a Summit League baseball series at J.L. Johnson Stadium.

In securing a sweep of the three-game set, ORU improved to 16-7 overall and 6-0 in league play. The Jackrabbits dropped to 9-10 overall and 3-3 in The Summit League.

SDSU's Matt Johnson opened the scoring with a solo home run to right field with one out in the top of the second inning. It was Johnson's team-leading fourth home run of the season.

Jackrabbit left-hander Bryce Hanson, who was a last-minute replacement for scheduled starter Tyler Olmstead, tossed three hitless innings with a pair of strikeouts and one walk in his second outing of the series.

ORU tied the game in the fourth as Nick Roark led off the inning with a walk against reliever Derek Feige, and later scored on a double by Noah Cummings.

That would be the Golden Eagles' only hit until the decisive sixth inning, when they sent eight men to the plate.

An error allowed the go-ahead run to score and Brent Williams followed with a run-scoring single that plated Cummings. Michael Hungate made the score 4-1 with an RBI single, while Trevor McCutchin capped the scoring with a two-run homer to right.

SDSU was stymied by ORU starter Miguel Ausua and a pair of relievers until scoring a run in the top of the ninth on an RBI single by Skyler Wenninger, which scored Josh Kunzmann.

Wenninger and Philip Jacobson each recorded two hits for SDSU, which held a 9-7 edge in that category. Hungate and Dylan Snypes each tallied two hits for the Golden Eagles.

Ausua struck out four, walked one and scattered six hits over six innings to earn his fourth win of the season.

Notes: Matt Johnson has reached base safely in all 19 games this season, with a hit in 18 of those contests. ... Johnson's home run was the Jackrabbits' only extra-base hit of the series, although SDSU out-hit Oral Roberts by a combined 31-30. ... Luke Ringhofer extended his hitting streak to 11 games. ... Hanson's start was the first of his career. ... Oral Roberts has won the last 10 meetings in the series.

ORAL ROBERTS 6, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 2

SDSU              010 000 001 – 2 9 1

ORU               000 105 00x – 6 7 1

Bryce Hanson, Derek Feige (4), Quinn Reimers (7), Zach Finley (8) and Luke Ringhofer; Miguel Ausua, Grant Glaze (7), Spencer Henson (8), Bryce Howe (9) and Matt Whatley. W – Ausua (4-2). L – Feige (1-2). 2B: ORU, Noah Cummings, Brent Williams. HR: SDSU, Matt Johnson (4); ORU, Trevor McCutchin (5).

Saturday

• Oral Roberts 11, SDSU 5

TULSA, Okla. – After winning a suspended game earlier in the day, Oral Roberts carried the momentum through to post an 11-5 victory over South Dakota State in the second game of a Summit League baseball series Saturday at J.L. Johnson Stadium.

The Golden Eagles struck for four runs in the bottom of the second inning and never trailed. After Jackrabbit starter Ryan Froom left the game with an apparent injury with one out and two runners on base, Sam Grellner walked against reliever Ethan Kenkel to load the bases and Dylan Snypes cleared the bases with a double to right-center. Snypes later scored on a base hit by Nick Roark.

SDSU answered with three runs in the top of the third to get back to within a run. Anthony Schneider drove in Phil Velez and Skyler Wenninger with a base hit for the first two runs and Nick Smith came across on an error later in the frame.

ORU countered with a three-run bottom of the fourth as Roark delivered his second run-scoring single of the game and Matt Whatley followed with a two-run home run to left field.

The Jackrabbits pulled to within 6-4 on a RBI single by Luke Ringhofer in the top of the fifth, but ORU answered with an unearned run in the home half of the frame.

SDSU's final run came in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Newt Johnson, but the Golden Eagles scored the final three runs of the game. Noah Cummings capped the scoring with a two-run home run in the eighth.

Whatley paced ORU's 14-hit attack with three hits in four trips to the plate.

The Jackrabbits' eight hits were spread among four players - Smith, Schneider, Ringhofer and Velez - with two hits each.

Josh McMinn earned the victory for ORU after striking out seven and walking two over six innings.

Notes: Matt Johnson's hitting streak ended at 17 games – tied for the third longest in the program's Division I history.

ORAL ROBERTS 11, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 5

SDSU              003 010 100 –   5   8 1

ORU               040 310 12x – 11 14 1

Ryan Froom, Ethan Kenkel (2), Brett Mogen (6) and Luke Ringhofer; Josh McMinn, Taylor Varnell (7), Grant Glaze (9) and Matt Whatley. W – McMinn (4-1). L – Froom (3-2). 2B: ORU, Dylan Snypes, Cal Hernandez. 3B: ORU, Michael Hungate. HR: ORU, Matt Whatley (5), Noah Cummings (6).

• Oral Roberts 7, SDSU 6 (13 inn.)

TULSA, Okla. - Oral Roberts' Sam Grellner drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 13th with a base hit to left field, leading the Golden Eagles to a 7-6 marathon victory over South Dakota State in the opening game of a Summit League baseball series.

Play resumed Saturday afternoon after the game was suspended by rain at J.L. Johnson Stadium in the top of the 12th inning Friday night.

Matt Whatley started the game-winning rally for ORU with a one-out single. He later advanced to second on a wild pitch and, after a walk to Brent Williams, scored on Grellner's two-out single down the left-field line.

The Golden Eagle victory came after SDSU rallied from a 6-3 deficit to force extra innings. Nick Smith plated the first two runs of the Jackrabbit comeback with an opposite-field single to left field in the seventh inning. SDSU knotted the game in the top of the ninth as freshman Landon Badger drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Skyler Wenninger and scored on Phil Velez's single to left-center.

Each team threatened in extra innings before Oral Roberts scored the game-winning run in the 13th. The Jackrabbits stranded two runners in both the top of the 10th and 13th, while SDSU reliever Austin Kost, who allowed the winning run, worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the 11th.

Oral Roberts scored first with a two-out rally against Jackrabbit starter Brady Stover in the bottom of the second. Grellner was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a walk to Michael Hungate and scored on a base hit by Trent Shelton.

SDSU tied the game in the top of the fourth and took a 3-1 lead an inning later. Badger drove in the tying run in the fourth on a base hit that scored Matt Johnson, while Newt Johnson plated the go-ahead run with a single to center field in the fifth and later scored on an error.

The Jackrabbit lead didn't last long as Oral Roberts responded with five runs in the home half of the fifth. The Golden Eagles sent 10 men to the plate against three different SDSU pitchers, highlighted by a two-run double by Michael Hungate.

SDSU held a 14-9 advantage in hits, and was led by Velez's three hits. Matt Johnson, Newt Johnson and Smith each tallied two hits, with Matt Johnson extending his hitting streak to 17 games.

Williams and Nick Roark each collected two hits for Oral Roberts.

Stover worked four-plus innings, walking five batters and striking out three. Quinn Reimers and Chris Halbur each threw two innings of scoreless relief.

Bill Lovvorn, who allowed two hits and struck out two over three shutout innings, earned the victory in relief for Oral Roberts.

Notes: Between the two days, the game lasted 4 hours, 38 minutes. ... SDSU and Oral Roberts combined to issue 26 bases on balls – 13 by each team. ... Smith tied an SDSU single-game individual record in the Division I era with eight at-bats. The Jackrabbits matched a team record in the Division I era by stranding 19 runners in a game (fourth time in program history). ... Halbur has not given up a run in nine appearances, covering 12 innings, this season.

ORAL ROBERTS 7, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 6 [13 inn.]

SDSU              000 130 201 000 0 – 6 14 0

ORU               010 050 000 000 1 – 7    9 1

Brady Stover, Bryce Hanson (5), Derek Feige (5), Quinn Reimers (7), Chris Halbur (9), Austin Kost (11) and Luke Ringhofer; Justin McGregor, Trevor McCutchin (5), Bryce Howe (7), Kyler Stout (9), Billy Lovvorn (13) and Matt Whatley. W – Lovvorn (1-0). L – Kost (0-4). 2B: ORU, Nick Roark, Brent Williams, Michael Hungate.