THE LEAD
After opening up a 9-0 lead through the first four-and-a-half innings, No. 16 DBU (9-4) held onto for a 9-7 win over Oral Roberts (8-5) on Friday night at J.L. Johnson Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Making his first career start in the Friday night role, freshman Ray Gaither surrendered just one run through five innings, while his offense supplied him with a nine-run cushion entering the top of the fifth inning.  Jameson Hannah and Austin Listi each hit home runs in the win, while five different Patriots registered multi-hit games.
 
DBU struck for a run in the first when Devlin Granberg delivered an RBI single with the bases loaded.  In the second, the Patriots tacked on four runs, as Jameson Hannah and Tim Millard each laced run-scoring singles, while Devlin Granberg and Camden Duzenack each drew bases loaded walks. 
 
After Hannah drove in his second run of the night with a single through the right side that scored Luke Stratman in the third, Hannah delivered a solo blast over the wall in right to put DBU up 7-0 in the fifth.  Two batters later, Austin Listi smashed his team-leading fifth home run of the year, giving the Patriots a 9-0 advantage.
 
Oral Roberts began their comeback with a run in the fifth.  After the Golden Eagles scratched across three runs in the sixth, ORU added three more runs in the eighth, headlined by a pinch-hit two-run home run from Trevor McCutchin that cut the Patriots' lead to two.

In the bottom of the ninth, Dalton Higgins came out of the pen to close out the Golden Eagles, inducing a double play ball of the bat of Matt Whatley to earn his first save of the year and preserve a 9-7 win.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU has now won eight straight games over Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- Austin Listi hit his 34th career home run, placing him two home runs behind Drew Holder for the fifth most home runs in DBU's Division I history.
- Freshman Ray Gaither is now 3-0 to start his collegiate career.
 
DBU HEAD COACH DAN HEEFNER ON GAITHER'S START IN THE FRIDAY NIGHT ROLE
"That's what a Friday night starter looks like.  Teams that go to the postseason have a guy that takes the mound like that and can shut down an opponent.  He's not phased by who he's facing; he has great mound presence and goes out there and is in complete control."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3 – Matt Duce, Jameson Hannah, and Luke Stratman accounted for the Patriots' three stolen bases.
12 – DBU's first five hitters in the lineup totaled 12 hits on the night.
9 – Ray Gaither induced nine fly ball outs.
 
UP NEXT
DBU faces Oral Roberts in game two of the series on Saturday.  First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.