May 8, 2009
Box Score
ROCHESTER, Mich. - Andrew Stafford went 4-for-5 with four RBIs, and sophomore Tommy Jablonski went 2-for-5 with four RBIs as the Oakland University baseball team (19-28, 8-13 Summit) staged a furious late rally, scoring 11 runs in the sixth and seventh innings to pick up a come-from-behind 15-11 victory over Oral Roberts (23-12, 12-2 Summit) on Friday at the OU Baseball Field.
The win marks just the third time that Oakland has beaten Oral Roberts in the 10-year history of the series.
Oral Roberts jumped out to an early lead, as Seth Furmanek blasted a two-out solo homer to put the Golden Eagles ahead 1-0. However, the Golden Grizzlies strung together three hits in the bottom of the frame, using an RBI single by senior Taylor Traub to knot the game at one.
ORU came back with a sacrifice fly in the top of the second to pull ahead 2-0, and then in the top of the third Juan Martinez belted a solo homer to center to extend the Golden Eagles' lead to 3-1. Oakland pulled to within one in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly by senior Dan Ryan, and then took the lead on a two-run homer by sophomore Scott Sexton, giving OU a 4-3 lead after three.
However, in the top of the fourth, the Golden Eagles belted three home runs, scoring six runs on five total hits to claim a commanding 9-4 lead. ORU held OU off the board until the sixth inning, when the Golden Grizzlies began their furious rally. Oakland scored its first run of the inning on a fielding error to pull to within 9-5, and then pulled to within 9-7 on a two-run single by Jablonski. OU tied the game at 9-9 later in the frame on a two-run single by Stafford.
After sophomore Jake Arendsen pitched his way out of a jam in the seventh, OU continued its offensive explosion in the seventh, going ahead on a bases-loaded walk to freshman Tim Ryan, and using a two-run single by Jablonski, a two-run double by Stafford, and an RBI single by Dan Ryan to claim a 15-9 lead after six.
However, the Golden Eagles would not go quietly in the eighth, as after Danny Duffy drew a leadoff walk, Colby Price belted a two-run shot to cut the margin to 15-11. However, freshman Matt LaMothe shut the Golden Eagles down from there, holding ORU off the board and sealing the OU win.
Arendsen picked up his first win of the year, improving to 1-2 on the year after tossing a scoreless seventh. Senior Justin Wilson, Traub, and Sexton all had two hits in the win.
OU scored its 15 runs on 14 hits, while ORU scored its 11 runs on 13 hits. Of ORU's 13 hits, nine were for extra bases. ORU's Chandler Griffin suffered the loss, falling to 0-2 on the year after allowing three runs on one hit in 0.2 innings of work.
The Golden Grizzlies and Golden Eagles will resume their four-game series with a noon doubleheader on Saturday at the OU Baseball Field. Senior Day will be celebrated at the conclusion of the second game.
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