SEASON ENDS WITH EXTRA-INNINGS LOSS

Friday, May 28

Omaha, Neb.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

15-32

Oral Roberts

30-22

Oral Roberts

South Dakota State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

5/28/2021 11:45:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

OMAHA, Neb. – Top-seeded Oral Roberts scored twice in the top of the 11^th inning, fending off South Dakota State for a 5-3 victory Friday night t Tal Anderson Field ato advance to the title series of the Summit League Baseball Championship.

The Golden Eagles, who were on the brink of elimination after suffering a 5-0 loss to North Dakota State earlier in the day, improved to 30-22 overall and will face the Bison for the championship Saturday afternoon. SDSU had its season end with a 15-32 overall record.

Jordan Wiley started the game-winning rally with a single to open the 11^th against SDSU reliever Ryan Bourassa. After moving to second on a sacrifice bunt and taking third on a flyout, Wiley scored when Anthony Martinez's chopper up the middle bounced over the outstretched glove of Bourassa and through the infield for a single. Martinez later scored on a double down the left-field line by Joshua Cox.

ORU closer Adam Scoggins, who entered the game in the eighth, struck out the side in the bottom of the 11^th to seal the Golden Eagle victory.

SDSU battled back from an early 3-0 deficit to tie the game. After ORU scored three unearned runs in the top of the second inning, the Jackrabbits countered with a run of their own in the home half of the frame. Carson Max and Avery Mellman hit consecutive one-out singles before Reece Anderson dropped down a bunt, on which the ensuing throw to first base was off the mark, allowing Max to score.

The game remained 3-1 until the eighth, when the Jackrabbits knotted the game. Max again jump-started the rally with a leadoff double to the left-center gap. Pinch-hitter Wyatt Andersen walked and Drake Frazier loaded the bases by greeting Scoggins with a pinch-hit single to right. Max scored his second run of the game when Scoggins mishandled a comebacker off the bat of Jess Bellows and SDSU tied the game when Luke Ira's flare to shallow right field fell in between two defenders, allowing pinch-runner Garrett Stout scored, although the Golden Eagles did record an out at second base on the play.

Bourassa and Scoggins matched zeroes through the ninth and 10^th innings. In matching his longest outing of the season, Bourassa struck out five over 5 2/3 innings.

Scoggins struck out nine batters over 3 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. ORU pitchers combined for 23 strikeouts on the night as starter Evan Kowalski fanned nine over five innings and Colten Weber added five K's in 2 1/3 innings as the first Golden Eagle reliever.

Jackrabbit starter Adam Mazur settled into a groove after the shaky second inning, finishing with six strikeouts and three walks over five innings.

SDSU held a 10-8 advantage in hits, with Max and Derek Hackman leading the way with two hits apiece. ORU's eight hits came from eight different players.

NOTES

ORU finished with an 8-2 advantage in the season series and has won all 15 Summit League tournament games against the Jackrabbits
SDSU dropped to 18-21 in 11 Summit League tournament appearances, including a 2-2 mark in extra-inning contests
Mazur moved into sixth place on the SDSU single-season strikeouts chart with 88, moving past Nic McCay (83 strikeouts in 2019), Blake Treinen (84 strikeouts in 2011) and Pete Torgerson (84 strikeouts in 1989)
Bourassa finished the season with 65 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings
The SDSU pitching staff held the opposition to a combined .198 batting average in the three tournament games
Of the Jackrabbits' 26 hits in the tournament, 24 were singles and Max had the only two extra-base hits (both doubles)

-GoJacks.com-