COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – South Dakota State and Summit League-leading Oral Roberts split a doubleheader Friday afternoon at Reiver Field, with the Jackrabbits winning the opener 3-1 and the Golden Eagles prevailing in the nightcap 7-3.
SDSU (10-21, 8-6) and ORU (22-15, 12-5) complete the three-game series today at 4 p.m. at Millard North High School in Omaha, Neb.
Game 1
• SDSU 3, Oral Roberts 1
Brady Stover (2-1) threw 6 2/3 innings of scoreless ball as the Jackrabbits prevailed.
The left-hander allowed just three hits while striking out 10 batters and walking five.
Derek Fiege gave up one run on two hits with three strikeouts and three walks over the next two innings.
Alex Marro retired the only batter he faced to pick up his third save of the season.
SDSU pushed across a run in the bottom of the third inning.
Anthony Schneider walked with one away and then scored on Nick Smith’s two-out double.
Smith, who had both of the Jackrabbits’ hits, had a one-out single to get an eighth-inning rally going. Newt Johnson walked and both players advanced on a wild pitch, before Josh Falk was intentionally walked.
Smith sprinted home on Phil Velez’s squeeze bunt. As the Golden Eagles were throwing the ball back to the pitcher, Johnson scampered home for the second run on the play and a 3-0 lead.
The Golden Eagles threatened in the top of the ninth.
Pinch-hitters Andrew Pace and Alex Schmitz drew back-to-back two-out walks and Harrison Smith followed with an infield single to load the bases.
Leadoff man Nick Roark, who finished 2-for-4 with a double, came through with an RBI hit to left field. Marro then took the mound and got Cal Hernandez to ground out to end it.
ORU starter Josh McMinn was the tough-luck loser after surrendering just one run on one hit in seven innings. He had eight strikeouts and five walks.
Colton Larkins gave up two runs on one hit and two walks with a strikeout in a third of an inning. Brady Womacks retired the final two batters.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 3, ORAL ROBERTS 1
Oral Roberts 000 000 001 – 1 5 1
SDSU 001 000 02x – 3 2 0
John McMinn, Colton Larkins (8), Brady Womacks (8) and Brody Gibson; Brady Stover, Derek Fiege (7), Alex Marro (9) and Kolton Michalski. W – Stover (2-1). L – McMinn (1-5). Sv – Marro (3). 2B: ORU, Nick Roark; SDSU, Nick Smith.
Game 2
• Oral Roberts 7, SDSU 3
Noah Cummings blasted a three-run homer and Nick Roark went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs to help the Golden Eagles end the Jackrabbits’ seven-game conference winning streak.
The Jackrabbits again grabbed an early lead, putting up a three-spot in the second frame.
Newt Johnson got it going with a leadoff single and Phil Velez stroked a single with one out.
Gus Steiger came through with an RBI hit after that.
With two away, Derek Hackman drew a walk. Anthony Schneider then reached on a dropped fly ball in the infield. The error allowed Velez and Steiger to score to make it 3-0.
Cummings had the equalizer an inning later, homering to left field.
Roark added an RBI double in the fourth to make it 4-3.
Oral Roberts extended the lead in the seventh as Riley Keizor plated Cal Hernandez, who walked to lead off the inning, with a sacrifice fly.
Roark tallied an RBI single and Hernandez added a run-scoring double in the eighth to provide for the final margin.
The Golden Eagles totaled 11 hits, with Harrison Smith (triple) and Spencer Henson adding two apiece.
Reigning Summit League Pitcher of the Year Miguel Ausua (6-1) picked up the win after allowing three runs – one earned – on three hits with five strikeouts and five walks in six innings.
Trevor McCutchin (one-third), Logan Michaels (two-thirds) and Kyler Stout (two) combined to throw three innings of two-hit ball to close out the game. Stout struck out four batters.
SDSU’s Brady Moxham (0-5) gave up four runs on seven hits with four walks and two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. The team used six relievers.
Steiger ended up 3-for-4 for the Jackrabbits, who totaled five hits – all singles.
ORAL ROBERTS 7, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 3
Oral Roberts 003 100 120 – 7 11 3
SDSU 030 000 000 – 3 5 0
Miguel Ausua, Trevor McCutchin (7), Logan Michaels (7), Kyler Stout (8) and Riley Keizor; Brady Moxham, Mitchell Oehme (5), Austin Suhr (7), Andrew Zimmerman (7), Bret Barnett (7), Bret Barnett (7), Quinn Reimers (8), Brett Mogen (9) and Derek Hackman, Ian Cote (7). W – Ausua (6-1). L – Moxham (0-5). 2B: ORU, Nick Roark, Cal Hernandez. 3B: ORU, Harrison Smith. HR: ORU, Noah Cummings.
Notes: ORU leads the all-time series 48-14, including a 4-1 advantage this season. ... Smith recorded his seventh consecutive multi-hit game in the opener and extended his overall hitting streak to 10 games in Game 2. ... Johnson had his 10-game hitting streak snapped in the opener, but kept his reached base streak intact at 24 games by drawing a walk in each game. ... Steiger notched his 10th multi-hit game of the season in Game 2 to tie for the team lead in that category. ... SDSU played its seventh doubleheader of the season.
Photo from www.gojacks.com.
