Oral Roberts homers past Jackrabbits

Sunday, April 23

Brookings, S.D.

1 p.m.

South Dakota State University

16-19, 9-9

Oral Roberts

28-11, 16-2

Oral Roberts

South Dakota State

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

4/23/2017 4:57:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

BROOKINGS, S.D. — Oral Roberts connected for four home runs, including two in a five-run first inning, and went on to defeat South Dakota State, 14-5, in the decisive game of a three-game Summit League baseball series Sunday afternoon at Erv Huether Field.

ORU improved to 28-11 and 16-2 in league play, while the Jackrabbits dropped to 16-19 overall and 9-9 in the Summit.

For the second time in the series, the Golden Eagles jumped out to a big early lead as Noah Cummings opened the scoring with a three-run homer and Brent Williams immediately followed with a solo shot off Jackrabbit starter Hunter Even. Three walks and a hit batter led to the fifth ORU run of the opening inning.

From there, Even settled into a groove as he closed his six-inning stint by retiring 16 of the last 17 batters he faced. Even struck out six and walked four.

The Jackrabbits closed the deficit to one by scoring two runs in each of the second and third innings. Tony Kjolsing accounted for the second-inning runs with a two-run home run just to the left of the batter's eye in center field, scoring Josh Kunzmann ahead of Kjolsing. SDSU's third-inning runs both scored on a bloop single to right field by Philip Jacobson that brought home both Matt and Newt Johnson.

SDSU loaded the bases in the fifth inning, but couldn't come up with a two-out hit to tie the game or take the lead against Golden Eagle starter Miguel Ausua.

Oral Roberts broke the game open with a six-run seventh inning against the Jackrabbit bullpen. Cummings and Williams each notched run-scoring singles before designated hitter/relief pitcher Trevor McCutchin cleared the bases with a grand slam over the fence in left-center field. Sam Grellner added a three-run shot to left in the ninth for the Golden Eagles.

Matt Johnson provided the final tally of the day for the Jackrabbits as he led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run. It was Johnson's team-leading ninth homer of the season.

Hits were even at 11, with both Matt and Newt Johnson recording three hits each. Jacobson added two hits for SDSU, while five different players registered two hits apiece for ORU.

Ausua struck out seven, walked four and scattered seven hits over five innings to earn his seventh win of the season.

UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits are scheduled to continue their homestand by hosting Dakota State Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Erv Huether Field.

NOTES
• Oral Roberts claimed the regular season series, 5-1
• Luke Ringhofer drew three walks, upping his career total to 100 to rank in a tie for sixth place in program history with Ryan Krogman (1991-94)
• Ringhofer has reached base safely in 31 consecutive games
• Matt Johnson's home run was the 23^rd of his career — most among active Jackrabbit players
• Matt Johnson's nine home runs are the most in a season by a Jackrabbit player since career home run leader Jesse Sawyer hit 12 in 2011
• Kjolsing extended his hitting streak to seven games

ORAL ROBERTS 14, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 5
ORU 500 000 603 14-11-0
SDSU 022 000 001 5-11-1
ORU: Miguel Ausua, Trevor McCutchin (6), Bryce Howe (7), Bill Lovvorn (9), Ryan McCollough (9) and Matt Whatley. SDSU: Hunter Even, Quinn Reimers (7), Zach Finley (9) and Luke Ringhofer.
W-Ausua (7-2). L-Even (1-1). Save-none.
HR: ORU-Noah Cummings (11), Brent Williams (10), Trevor McCutchin (6), Sam Grellner (5); SDSU-Matt Johnson (9), Tony Kjolsing (1).

-GoJacks.com-