THE RUNDOWN
DBU (11-7) took the series versus ORU with a 5-4 win in game two Saturday at J.L. Johnson Stadium. For the second time in as many days, eighth-inning offense and an excellent outing from the pitching staff appeared to lead to a comfortable victory, but a three-run rally by the Golden Eagles (12-7) in the ninth forced the Patriots to hold on tight to win their fourth straight weekend series. Luke Eldred improved to 3-0 in the year, punching out six and allowing a single run in 6.1 innings of work, and the offense blasted five hits for extra bases.
Andrew Benefield got the bats going with a leadoff homer in the second inning. The sophomore launched a no-doubter through center field and began his third trip around the bases this season. Oral Roberts had no answer for Luke Eldred in the early innings. The veteran retired the first nine batters he faced as DBU cruised into the fourth with a 1-0 lead.
Mathieu Vallee notched his first-career RBI on a ground ball that brought home George Specht, who reached on a leadoff double to open the fourth frame. Miguel Santos then advanced to third on a double steal and scored on a wild pitch as the lead swelled to 3-0.
ORU posed its first threat in the fifth inning. A walk and a single into right field placed runners on the corners and brought the tying run to the plate. But Eldred would fan the final out to escape the jam.
Two runs on a pair of doubles in the eighth turned out to be exactly what DBU needed to hold off the Golden Eagles. Jace Grady drew his 15th walk of the season and scored off a shot down the right-field line from Cole Moore. From there, Benefield dealt more damage with an RBI double into left-center field.
Leading 5-1 in the home half of the ninth, Bubba Hall carded his fourth punchout to bring ORU to its final two outs. But a double into left field from AJ Archambo and a Jake McMurray RBI single brought Patriots closer Chandler Arnold out of the bullpen in a 5-2 contest. DBU fans held their breath as a two-run single into left field trimmed the lead to 5-4. But Arnold would maintain his composure to induce a series-clinching pop out.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
-DBU improves to .500 (4-4) away from Horner Ballpark.
- With his 31st start, Luke Eldred tied Jordan Meaker (2006-2008) for the eighth-most in the program's DI era.
-The Patriots swiped three bags on the day, their most in a road game this season.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
4- Andrew Benefield became the fourth Patriot to leave the yard in the series.
6 - Luke Eldred recorded a season-high six strikeouts.
9 - DBU played its ninth game of error-free baseball.
ON DECK
DBU goes for the series sweep against Oral Roberts tomorrow in game three. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
