Oral Roberts Golden Eagles run-rule Northern Colorado, to advance to Summit League title game on Saturday – Oklahoma City Sentinel

Tulsa, Oklahoma -- Third-seededOral Robertsbroke open a tight game with a 12-run outburst in the eighth inning to advance to beat fourth-seeded Northern Colorado 14-0 and reach the Summit League Baseball Championship title game.

Golden Eaglestarter Brooks Fowler tossed 5.1 innings scoreless innings and allowed only one hit to improve to 6-4. ORU has reached the finals in all 23 Summit League Tournaments they have participated in dating back to 1998.

Both teams were scoreless through the first three innings.

ORU rallied for one run in the fourth, then garnered another in the fifth when Sam Thompson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Still, all the Golden Eagles would get across home plate.

They took a 2-0 lead into the sixth.

ORUs Fowler yieldrf his first hit of the game in the sixth whenCarter Mondahit a line drive to center field. The right-hander then left the mound. He gave up just the one hit and two walks over 5.1 innings, while striking out eight.

Then came an eighth inning for the ages. ORU bats produced 12 runs on nine hits off of three UNC relievers.MartellDavishad two run-scoring hits in the frame and finished the contest with a career-high three RBI. ShortstopDavid Herringblasted a three-run homer in the frame andKole Duddingcapped the scoring with a pinch-hit homer run that was the first of his collegiate career.

Elijah Rodriguezjoined Davis with three hits in the contest as the Golden Eagles outhit the Bears 14-2.

The Golden Eagles have advanced to all 24 Summit League Championship title games that they could have as a league member and won 20 of those, including a season ago inFargo.

The last shutouts in the tournament happened in 2021 whenSouth Dakota Stateput one together againstOmahain a loser's bracket game andNorth Dakota Statefollowed with one in a winner's bracket game against Oral Roberts that same year.

ORU has scored double figures in four consecutive tournament games dating back to last season.

Second-seededNorth Dakota Stateovercame a five-run, ninth-inning deficit to stave off elimination and oust top-seededOmaha7-5 Thursday in the loser's bracket game atJ.L. Johnson Stadium.

TheBisonoffense did not have an answer for Omaha starterHarrison Kreiling, who pitched a gem for theMavericks.

The right-hander allowed just two hits over eight scoreless innings and his 13 strikeouts were the second most in a tournament game in League history.

North Dakotas bats woke up in the ninth. Twelve batters went to the plate, scoring seven times on four hits, three walks and two hit batters. Three Maverick hurlers could not prevent the stunning comeback.

Carter Hakestarted the rally with a pinch-hit single and would draw a bases loaded walk later in the frame that squared the game at 5-5. Fellow pinchhitterKyle Lawalso came through with a two-run single early in the inning beforeSam Cantondelivered the game-winning RBI with a two-out, two-run single through the right side.

With a 7-5 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth,Skyler Riedingerthrew his second scoreless inning to earn the win in relief. He followed Bison closerJoey Danielson, who had entered the game in the third with his team trailing 5-0. Danielson held the Mavericks scoreless and scattered four hits over 4.1 innings, which was his longest outing of the season.

Kreiling's offense gave him that early cushion, striking for four runs in the bottom half of the first and adding one more in the third.

In that four-run first,Grant Sommersdrew a bases loaded walk that was followed by a two-out, bases-clearing double fromHaiden Hunt. Sommers' free pass came after a nine pitch at-bat that saw him foul off three consecutive pitches before seeing a fastball from NDSU starterLandon Koenigmiss the zone high.

The Mavericks added to their advantage in the third on a RBI-single byJack Trout. Danielson was brought into the game with two outs and runners on the corners and was able to keep the deficit at 5-0. He replaced Koenig, who had seen his pitch count rise to 72 through his 2.2 innings of work.

Kreiling had multiple strike outs through each of the first four innings and did not surrender a hit until a one-out single byGarret Hillin the top of the fifth. He saw the Bison load the bases off him in the bottom of the eighth but he picked up his career-high 13th punch-out to end the threat.

With 13 strikeouts, Kreiling now owns the second most in a Summit League Tournament game and strung together three consecutive starts with at least nine strikeouts to close out his senior season.

For the first time in tournament history the top seed has finished the tournament 0-2.

Danielson, who has double-digit saves on the season, threw a season-high 4.1 innings of scoreless relief to keep the Bison in the game, and lay the basis for victory.

North Dakota State will play Northern Colorado, in Fridays play-in game. The loser is done.

The winner will get one more shot at ORU on Saturday.

(https://thesummitleague.org/news/2024/5/23/baseball-summitbsb-championship-recap-3.aspx )

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Oral Roberts Golden Eagles run-rule Northern Colorado, to advance to Summit League title game on Saturday - Oklahoma City Sentinel