TULSA, Okla. — Brody Sexton delivered a two-run homer in the eighth inning as Omaha handed Oral Roberts a rare late-game defeat, 7-5, to earn a split of a Summit League baseball doubleheader Saturday. The Golden Eagles took the opener, 4-3, to clinch the conference regular-season title.
Prior to Omaha's comeback in game two, Oral Roberts was 22-0 when leading after seven innings.
"That's how the score should look when both teams are playing well, and I thought we competed for 18 innings," Omaha head coach
Evan Porter said. "That's not easy to do down here, but our guys found a way to win that second one."
In the nightcap, Oral Roberts (30-19, 20-4 Summit) built a 4-0 lead before Omaha (17-23, 12-10) answered with four runs in the fourth. After
Jackson Trout reached on an error, the Mavericks strung together three straight hits, including an RBI double from
Sam Beck and a run-scoring single by
Hayden Lewis.
Edoardo Cornelli later singled home Beck, and
Eli Hoerner executed a safety squeeze to score
Tyler Bishop and tie the game at 4-4.
The Golden Eagles regained the lead on a sacrifice fly in the fifth before Omaha broke through in the eighth. Beck singled, and Sexton followed with his second home run as a Maverick to put Omaha ahead, 6-5. Trout added an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth.
Nate Moquin secured the win with two scoreless innings of relief, highlighted by a defensive play on a sacrifice bunt that cut down the lead runner at third.
Nick Riggs earned the win in relief to improve to 2-3, while Moquin picked up his seventh save.
In game one, Omaha starter
Tanner Foertsch and ORU ace Easton Teel traded scoreless innings into the fourth. Cornelli singled and moved into scoring position on a bunt before Trout doubled to left to open the scoring.
After Oral Roberts tied the game on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, Omaha regained the lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Lewis.
The Golden Eagles answered with a two-run homer from Makani Tanaka before Hoerner tied the game in the seventh with his first home run of the season.
Oral Roberts plated the winning run on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh. Omaha threatened in the ninth, but a lineout to first base ended the rally.
The teams conclude the series Sunday at 1 p.m. CT at Chapman Ballpark. Omaha closes the regular season at Tal Anderson Field against South Dakota State, May 13-16.
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