Big Innings Push ORU Baseball Past Fort Wayne, 14-6

It was the first and ninth innings that the Golden Eagles needed to pick up the series clinching win over IPFW Sunday afternoon at Mastodon Stadium. ORU used a four-run opening frame and a six-run ninth to put away the Dons 14-6 and pick up the teams' 25th win of the season. 

A trio of Golden Eagles finished the afternoon with three or more hits. Sophomore Nick Roark led the way going 4-for-6 and scoring a career high four runs while Noah Cummings drove in a career high five runs after going 3-for-5, including a three-run home run in the ninth. Colorado Springs, Colorado native Brent Williams capped off the ninth inning with his team-leading seventh home run as he and Cummings went back-to-back to close the door on Fort Wayne. 

After scoring seven runs in the first two innings, the Golden Eagles (25-13, 14-4) looked to be well on their way to the series clinching win, but Fort Wayne had other plans. The Mastodons quickly scored six runs in the second, third and fourth innings to cut the deficit to just one run. 

It looked as though Fort Wayne (19-21, 5-13) would capitalize in the fourth inning after jumping all over ORU reliever Grant Glaze. The Dons went for four-straight base hits to start the inning, scoring one run to make it, 7-6 ORU. 

That was when the Golden Eagles went to their only southpaw in the bullpen in Trevor McCutchin to get ORU out of the jam. McCutchin, an Owasso, Oklahoma native, did not falter as he struck out three straight Mastodons to strand the bases loaded and secure the win for ORU. The freshman went three complete innings, striking out a career high five batters and did not allow a run improving to 2-1 on the year. 

The bullpen of the Golden Eagles did not allow a run for the remainder of the contest as Holden Cammack pitched the seventh and eighth innings, striking out two on the day. Junior Brady Womacks would make his 18th appearance out of the bullpen to pitch the ninth, striking out one. 

 Roark picked up a one-out single in the first followed by a single from Matt Whatley. Cumming loaded the bases with a walk before Williams picked up his sixth double of the season and drove in two. The Mastodons looked to be out of the inning when Michael Hungate chopped a ball to the right side, but IPFW's Jackson Boyce threw the ball away allowing a pair of unearned runs to cross the plate. 

Five singles in the second allowed three runs to cross the plate as the Golden Eagles extended their lead to 7-0, but IPFW would answer in the bottom half of the inning when Boyce doubled to the gap to score the first run of the day for the home club. 

Shane Trevino homered for the second time in as many games in the third followed by a walk and three base hits to cut the ORU lead to 7-5. The Mastodons would get one more run in the game in the fourth inning. 

Leading 8-6 heading to the ninth, ORU looked for insurance and that is exactly what they got as the bats got hot. Hungate led off the frame with a single to right before stealing second base. That allowed Chase Stafford to record his first base hit of the series after he poked a ball to center to score Hungate. Whatley then went on to single to center to score Rotola who reached after being hit by a pitch. All that set up the Golden Eagles for back-to-back home runs from Cummings and Williams to ice the game.