TULSA, Okla. - May 22 - Southern Utah baseball was one out away from
advancing to the Currington Mortgage Summit League Baseball Championship
game with a 6-3 lead over Oral Roberts in the top of the ninth inning,
but ending up losing the game 9-6 and then suffered elimination during
the night game in a 9-4 defeat to South Dakota State. The losses end
the Thunderbirds' season with a 27-24 record and what would ultimately
factor as a third-place finish in the conference tournament.
SUU had the Golden Eagles of ORU on the ropes in the first game for the T-Birds on the day after scoring runs in each of the middle innings. Oral Roberts lit up the board first with two runs in the top of the fourth, but SUU matched the output with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame. Bucky Aona provided the offense on a two-run double down the left field line.
The Thunderbirds capitalized on an ORU error in the fifth inning, advancing Garrett Messerly from first to third on a sacrifice bunt. Messerly crossed the plate during the next at bat, despite a double play turned by the Golden Eagles.
Southern Utah then scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning by way of a three-run home run by Keli'i Zablan to run the lead to 6-2. Oral Roberts chipped into the lead with a run in the top of the eighth, trimming the margin to 6-3.
SUU starter Kyle Melling opened the top of the ninth inning with his fifth strikeout of the afternoon, fanning ORU's Michael Notaro. He then gave up a double and was replaced by Alec Reichle. Reichle proceded to freeze ORU's Johnny Roberts with a backwards "K" as Zablan took to the hill to close out the game. However, it wasn't to be as the senior gave up a two-run home run over the right center field wall during the next at bat and then surrendered back-to-back walks.
Fellow senior Ray Wright replaced Zablan on the hill, allowing a third walk and then a grand slam home run before inducing a pop up to end the inning. The T-Birds were only able to answer with a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth, falling 9-6.
The loss forced the Thunderbirds into the loser's bracket and a sixth meeting with the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. SUU jumped on the Jacks early with an RBI single in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. However, SDSU answered with two runs in the home half of the frame and another run in the bottom of the second to take a 3-1 advantage.
SUU tied the game at 3-3 with single runs in the top of the third and fourth inning on an RBI single by Aona in the third and a solo home run off the bat of Matt Sanford in the fourth.
The deadlock was short lived as SDSU then out scored the Thunderbirds 5-0 over the next three innings to take an 8-3 lead before SUU finally broke through in the top of the eighth. Sanford hit his second big fly of the evening, leading off the frame, but it was the only run that Southern Utah recorded as SDSU answered with a run in the bottom of the eighth for the eventual 9-4 outcome.
