ORU Lights Up Scoreboard in Season-Ending Blowout

The Golden Eagles scored 11 runs in the first inning alone and coasted to their second straight run-rule win.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:25 pm

By: News On 6

ORU Lights Up Scoreboard in Season-Ending Blowout

Originally Published: May 21, 2011 2:2 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts baseball team finished the regular season with an offensive explosion in an 18-4 demolishing of Southern Utah Saturday.

Coming off a run-rule 12-2 win in the teams’ previous game Friday, the Golden Eagles (33-20, 21-7) nearly matched that output in the first inning alone Saturday.

ORU’s first six batters of the game all reached base, and the Eagles had four runs before any of their batters had been retired. After Southern Utah (23-31, 11-17) finally recorded an out, ORU rattled off another five consecutive base runners for five more runs.

Six different Golden Eagles recorded RBIs in the first inning alone and a total of 15 batters came to the plate. ORU scored 11 runs in the inning on 10 hits, two walks and an error. Despite leading 11-0 after only one frame, the Golden Eagles still did not let off the gas.

ORU continued to pour on runs for the rest of the afternoon and scored in every inning but the fifth. It finished with 18 runs on 20 hits, and Chris Elder and Nick Baligod combined to go 7-of-9 at the plate for nine RBIs and seven runs scored.

The run rule went into effect in the seventh inning, but both teams still used four pitchers. Southern Utah tarter Chris Chung only managed to record one out, but was credited with all 11 of the first-inning runs. Kolby Rimer was the only SU pitcher not to allow a run, and he struck out the side in his only inning on the mound.

Meanwhile, the Oral Roberts pitchers combined to allow just four runs on six hits. They allowed only one extra base hit all day and only one hit total in the game’s final three innings.

The victory gave the Eagles a four-game sweep to finish the season, and they are guaranteed at least a share of the Summit League regular-season title and a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. The tournament will begin May 26, with teams and times yet to be determined.