Oral Roberts Hands Cajuns First Loss, 6-5

SAN ANTONIO, Texas ? Oral Roberts overcame a 3-0 deficit, scoring six runs in the fifth and sixth innings, to hand the 19th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns a 6-5 loss Saturday afternoon at Wolff Stadium.

Senior Brent Solich (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) pitched a nearly-flawless first four innings until the Golden Eagles roughed him up in the fifth and sixth. Solich retired the first 12 batters he faced until Oral Roberts unloaded six runs on the Cajuns in two innings.

Solich (0-1) was credited for the loss as ORU (3-0) touched the southpaw for six runs ? five earned ? on six hits with five strikeouts in five innings. Gregory Harmon (Crowley, La.) scattered four hits in four innings of relief.

Michael Jarman (1-0) earned the victory for the Golden Eagles, allowing four runs on six hits in five innings of work, while striking out three. Carlos Luna notched his second save of the season, giving up one run on three hits in four innings. Luna struck out a game-high seven batters.

Scott Hawkins (Collierville, Tenn.) led all players with four hits, going 4-for-4 with a run scored. Matt Goulas (New Iberia, La.) went 2-for-2, while three other Cajuns registered a hit.

Oral Roberts' Bryan Van Kirk went 3-for-4 with a RBI. Ryan Groth added two hits and a RBI.

After a three-up-three-down first inning, Louisiana notched the game's first hit as Hawkins sent a rocket shot back up the middle in the bottom of the second. For Hawkins, that was his first hit of the weekend, snapping a 0-for-6 start.

Two innings later, the Cajuns capitalized on an Oral Roberts fielding error to take a 3-0 lead in the fourth. Freshman Tyler Benzel (Groveland, Fla.), making his first career start at third base, rapped his first career hit with a single up the middle. After a Jarman balk advanced Benzel to second, the rookie scored on Kyle Price's throwing error trying to defend a Matt Hicks (Houston, Texas) sacrifice bunt.

Justin Robichaux (Crowley, La.) then cleared the bases with a two-RBI double to the gap in left centerfield, scoring Hicks and Hawkins for a 3-0 lead.

Louisiana's three-run lead quickly disappeared in the top half of the fifth as the Golden Eagles rattled Solich, scoring three runs to tie the contest a 3-3. Van Kirk broke up Solich's early no-hit bid with a lead-off double left centerfield and later advanced to third on a wild pitch.

Three batters later, Genao singled through the right side, plating Van Kirk for Oral Roberts' first run. Price followed with a RBI double down the left field line, scoring Genao, but Price also scored on the play after an errant throw home by William Long (Valrico, Fla.) for the game-tying run.

Oral Roberts overtook the Cajuns in the sixth inning, scoring three runs for a 6-3 lead to mark the first Louisiana has trailed this season. Ben Petralli's RBI single through the left side gave ORU its first lead of the game, 4-3. Van Kirk followed with a RBI double down the left field line, plating Kelly Minissale.

Harmon then lifted Solich but not before Ryan Groth pushed across the Golden Eagles' third run of the frame with a RBI single through the right side of the infield.

Louisiana chipped away at ORU's three-run lead, but left two runners on base before the sixth inning ended. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Long scored Robichaux on a sacrifice fly, cutting the ORU lead to 6-4. But, Luna struck out back-to-back Cajuns to end the inning.

In the ninth, Hicks delivered a two-out home run ? his second of the tournament ? over the left field fence to pull to within one run, 6-5. With the potential game-winning run at the plate, Chance Harst (Lafayette, La.) struck out to end the game.

Louisiana will conclude play in the five-team UTSA Baseball Classic Sunday when the Ragin' Cajuns face the host UTSA Roadrunners. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. at Roadrunner Field on the UTSA campus.

Oral Roberts 6, Louisiana-Lafayette 5 (Feb 23, 2008 at San Antonio, Texas)

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Oral Roberts........ 000 033 000 - 6 10 1 (3-0)

Louisiana-Lafayette. 000 301 001 - 5 9 2 (2-1)

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Pitchers: Oral Roberts - Michael Jarman; Jameson Dunn(6); Carlos Luna(6). Louisiana-Lafayette - Solich, Brent; Harmon, Gregory(6).

Win-Michael Jarman(1-0) Save-Carlos Luna(2) Loss-Solich, Brent(0-1) T-3:02 A-183

-www.RaginCajuns.com-

Oral Roberts Hands Cajuns First Loss, 6-5

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