Beazley's blast lifts Jacks to 2-1 win over ORU

Saturday, March 23

Tulsa, Okla.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

10-10, 3-2

Oral Roberts

10-10, 4-1

South Dakota State

Oral Roberts

Photo by: Mike Janes/Four Seam Images

3/23/2019 6:13:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

TULSA, Okla. – Drew Beazley led off the top of the ninth inning with a home run, lifting South Dakota State to a 2-1 victory over Oral Roberts in the middle game of a three-game Summit League baseball series Saturday afternoon at J.L. Johnson Stadium.

In evening the series at a game apiece, the Jackrabbits improved to 10-10 overall and 3-2 in league play. ORU dropped to 10-10 overall and 4-1 in The Summit League.

A freshman from Johnston, Iowa, Beazley lined a 2-1 pitch down the right-field line for an opposite-field home run off Golden Eagle reliever A.J. Archambo. His game-winning clout was his second round-tripper of the season.

Jackrabbit reliever Bret Barnett allowed a pair of base runners in the bottom of the ninth, but struck out pinch-hitter Jack Rosenberg to end the game. Barnett earned his third win of the season as he worked the final 2 2/3 innings, striking out four while walking one and allowing one hit.

SDSU scored first, pushing a run across in the top of the third. After reaching on a fielders choice, Gus Steiger advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Luke Ira's single up the middle.

Oral Roberts tied the game in the fourth as Drew Lowe singled and later came home on a wild pitch. The Golden Eagle rally came an inning after Jackrabbit starter Ryan Froom worked out of a jam in which Oral Roberts put runners at second and third with one out, but could not score.

Froom scattered six hits and worked around three walks while striking out two in 6 1/3 innings.

Nick Smith tallied two of the Jackrabbits' five hits in the contest. Hunter Swift was 3-for-4 to lead ORU's eight-hit effort.

UP NEXT
The decisive game of the three-game series is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.

NOTES

The Jackrabbits ended a five-game losing streak to Oral Roberts, dating back to last season
SDSU improved to 3-4 in one-run games this season
Steiger had his career-best 11-game hitting streak come to an end
Smith drew a walk for the 11^th consecutive game
Barnett lowered his earned run average to 0.63 as he has allowed only one run over 14 1/3 innings in a team-best nine appearances
The game was delayed about 45 minutes in the bottom of the first inning due to lightning
Nic McCay (3-1, 3.42 ERA) is the Jackrabbits' scheduled starter on Sunday