THE RUNDOWN
DBU (10-5) exploded for 15 runs on Saturday to take the weekend series from Oral Roberts (9-6). Ethan Mann's two long balls highlighted a Patriot offense with five home runs on the day.
 
In the second inning, Grant Jay hit doubled down the left field line, and Luke Heefner followed with a single to set up runners on the corners for Ethan Mann. Ahead in the count, 2-1, Mann took a pitch from Harley Gollert over the left field wall to open the scoring for DBU, 3-0.
 
Patriot starter Ryan Johnson held the Golden Eagles at bay until the fifth inning when ORU manufactured three runs via a pair of singles and a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at three.
 
After Mann's three-run homer in the second, DBU failed to push a run across until the sixth when Dalton Patten came into the game to relieve Gollert. Once again, Jay and Heefner put themselves on base for Ethan Mann, who slammed his second three-run home run of the day to straightaway center field.
 
Miguel Santos followed Mann in the seventh with a three-RBI homer of his own, extending the Patriots' lead to six, 9-3.
 
With Cole Reeves on the mound for DBU, Sam Thompson gave ORU a fighting chance in the eighth with a two-run shot to left field to decrease the deficit to four. Thompson's round-tripper would prove to be insignificant as the Patriots responded with a six spot in the home half of the same frame, highlighted by home runs four and five of the afternoon for DBU off the bats of Nathan Humphreys and Nate Rombach.
 
Despite allowing the runners to occupy all three bases in the ninth, Matt Bollenbacher finished the game on the mound for the Patriots without the blemish of a run to claim game two of the three-game series.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Kodie Kolden's two hits mean he has reached base in all 13 games he has played in.
- Five Patriots finished the day with multiple hits (Luke Heefner, Nathan Humphreys, Kode Kolden, Ethan Mann, and Nate Rombach).
- Alec Baker totaled a season-high four strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
5 - The Patriots smashed five home runs, tying their season high. 
6 - Ethan Mann's six RBI sets a new career high.
12 - With 12 strikeouts, DBU has punched out double-digit batters in 12 of 15 games this season.
 
HEAD COACH DAN HEEFNER ON ETHAN MANN
"Ethan's been really good for us since he got on campus in the fall. He was probably our top hitter throughout our fall intrasquads. [He] did a good job in our preseason. Obviously got off to a little bit of a slow start, but he's been showing signs of being confident, getting some good swings off. This was a good day for him, and obviously he's guy who…wants to get the ball in the air. And he's done a good job [with] situational hitting…getting those sac flies…but today, he did a lot more than that. He got both of those [home runs] really good."
 
UP NEXT
The Patriots eye a series sweep of the Golden Eagles with a 1:00 start time tomorrow at Horner Ballpark.
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