BROOKINGS – Baseball action scheduled for Sunday between South Dakota State and Oral Roberts was canceled due to unplayable field conditions at Erv Huether Field.
Saturday’s game, which was suspended with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, will be recorded as a 5-3, five-inning victory for Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles were ahead 9-3 when play was suspended due to rain after scoring four times in the top of the sixth, but NCAA rules dictate that the score reverts back to the score of the last fully completed inning in a weather-shortened contest.
Oral Roberts jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first two innings with a pair of two-out rallies. The Golden Eagles’ Isaac Coffey provided the opening salvo in the top of the first inning with a two-out, run-scoring double off the center-field fence, and later scored on Andrew Pace’s single to center field.
Jackrabbit starter Ryan Froom was removed from the game with an apparent non-throwing injury in the top of the second inning, after which ORU took advantage of three SDSU errors to tack on three more runs. A throwing error on what would have been the third out allowed a run to score before Spencer Henson clubbed his 15th home run of the season, a two-run bomb to left.
SDSU chipped away, drawing to within 5-3 by scoring single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Nick Smith drove in each of the first two Jackrabbit runs on a single in the third and sacrifice fly in the fourth.
In the fifth inning, Braeden Brown notched his second hit of the game and later scored on a base hit to left by Ryan McDonald that put runners at the corners with one out, chasing Golden Eagle starter Matt Gaskins from the game. ORU reliever A.J. Archambo ended the threat by starting an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play.
Up Next
The Jackrabbits (25-19, 19-9 Summit League), close out the regular season with a three-game series at North Dakota State. Game times are 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday at 1 p.m. Saturday at Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, North Dakota.
SUMMIT LEAGUE BASEBALL
Conf. Overall
Omaha 19-8 27-18-1
South Dakota State 17-9 25-19
Oral Roberts 15-11 24-22
North Dakota State 14-13 18-22
Western Illinois 14-13 20-28
Purdue Fort Wayne 1-26 6-42
Note: Top four teams qualify for Summit League Baseball Championship, to be played May 22-25 at J.L. Johnson Stadium in Tulsa, Okla.
Tuesday
Omaha at Creighton, 11 a.m.
Iowa at Western Illinois, noon
Purdue Fort Wayne at Toledo, 2 p.m.
Wichita State at Oral Roberts, 6 p.m. [ESPN+]
Thursday
*Western Illinois at Purdue Fort Wayne, 3 p.m.
*Oral Roberts at Omaha, 4 p.m.
*South Dakota State at North Dakota State, 6:30 p.m.
Friday
*Western Illinois at Purdue Fort Wayne, 2 p.m.
*Oral Roberts at Omaha, 2 p.m.
*South Dakota State at North Dakota State, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday
*Oral Roberts at Omaha, noon
*South Dakota State at North Dakota State, 1 p.m.
*Western Illinois at Purdue Fort Wayne, 1 p.m.
*Summit League game
