SIOUX FALLS — Oral Roberts received production up and down its lineup to sweep a Summit League baseball doubleheader from South Dakota State by scores of 16-4 and 13-5 Saturday afternoon. The games were moved to Augustana University’s Ronken Field due to weather and unplayable conditions on the Jackrabbits’ home field in Brookings.

Game 1: Oral Roberts 16, South Dakota State 4

The Golden Eagles scored the final 12 runs of the game, starting with a tie-breaking solo home run from Drew Stahl in the top of the fourth inning.

ORU took a 4-0 lead against Jackrabbit ace Nic McCay in the second inning. After McCay issued back-to-back walks to open the frame, Alex Rodgers opened the scoring with a run-scoring single. Holden Breeze followed two batters later with a two-run single and Stahl drove in the first of his three RBIs of the game with a base hit to center field.

SDSU tied the game with a pair of two-run homers, the first by Sioux Falls native Bryce Ronken on the field that bears his family’s name with a towering shot to right field in the second inning. Jordan Sagedahl’s two-run blast to left field an inning later knotted the game at 4-all.

From there it was all ORU as Stahl, who was a double away from the cycle, gave the Golden Eagles the lead with his sixth homer of the season with one out in the fourth inning. Breeze added a three-run homer in a five-run sixth inning that also featured a two-run home run by Cameron LaLiberte.

LaLiberte, who tied Breeze with five RBIs in the game, added a two-run single in the ninth to close out the scoring in a four-run final at-bat.
ORU pounded out 15 hits in the contest, with Stahl leading the way with a 4-for-5 effort at the plate.

Cade Stuff tallied three of the Jackrabbits’ eight hits.

McCay was pulled after hitting the first two batters of the third inning as he struggled with his command in his shortest outing of the season. In two-plus innings, the right-hander allowed four runs on three hits while walking five and striking out three.

Golden Eagle starter Jakob Hall struck out eight and walked three over seven innings.

Game 2: Oral Roberts 13, South Dakota State 5

The Golden Eagles continued to score runs in bunches, including building a big lead early with a five-run third inning to complete the sweep.

ORU plated unearned runs in each of the first two innings before batting around in the third inning. Kyle Booker and LaLiberte each tallied two-run singles, with the final run of the inning scoring on a wild pitch.

SDSU used the long ball to trim the deficit to 7-5 in the bottom of the fourth. Sagedahl hit his second home run of the day in the bottom of the first inning while three Jackrabbits went deep in the home half of the fourth.

Cael Frost led off the inning with his league-leading 17th round-tripper of the season and Luke Luskey added a two-run shot to left field later in the frame. On the very next pitch after Luskey’s fourth home run of the season, Ronken connected on his second homer of the day, a shot that cleared the fence in center field.

Golden Eagle hurler Brooks Fowler regained his form, however, as he wrapped up his five-inning start with 10 strikeouts and only one walk. Jared Ure tossed four scoreless innings of relief to earn the save.

ORU pulled away in the middle innings with two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth, with the final two runs of the sixth scoring on a two-run double by Booker.

Booker and Stahl each tallied three of the Golden Eagles’ 11 hits. Sagedahl and Matthew Werk collected two of SDSU’s eight hits.

SDSU starter Jake Goble was tagged with the loss after allowing five earned runs over 2 1/3 innings. Arlen Peters logged the final three innings in relief and gave up only one run on two hits while striking out five and walking only one.

Up next

Sunday’s series finale has been canceled due to rain being forecast throughout the day. The Jackrabbits next action is now slated for May 3 at Northern Colorado.