Errors Cost Diamond Hogs in 5-4 Loss to ORU
TULSA, Okla. – Four errors and 12 strikeouts cost No. 14 Arkansas another win on Tuesday night as Oral Roberts scored a 5-4 come-from-behind win in front of 1,927 fans at J.L. Johnson Stadium.
It snapped a nine-game winning streak in Tulsa for the Razorbacks and dropped them to 31-15 on the year. ORU improves to 25-13 on the season.
The Golden Eagles mounted their eighth-inning rally off UA reliever Chris Rhoads, who came on for Brian McLelland in the eighth inning. Rhoads promptly served up a 2-0 fastball to ORU cleanup hitter Chad Rothford, who deposited it over the center-field fence to trim UA’s lead to 4-3.
Rhoads got the next two Golden Eagle hitters before a single up the middle by Minissale ended his night at two-thirds of an inning.
Hogs’ closer Devin Collis then allowed a single to left by Carter McQuigg. Nine-hole hitter Pat Warfle followed by slapping a single through the right side of the infield and the ball rolled under Jake Dugger’s glove in right field, allowing two runs to race home and give ORU the 5-4 lead.
Sean Jarrett closed things out for the Golden Eagles in the ninth inning to improve to 4-1 on the season. He worked three innings, allowing just one hit and striking out six. Collis drops to 6-2 on the season for Arkansas.
Danny Hamblin continued to enjoy his trips to Tulsa to face Oral Roberts with his fourth career home run against the Golden Eagles in the first inning. He crushed a 3-1 pitch deep over the left-field fence to give the Hogs an early 2-0 lead.
It was Hamblin’s 14th home run of the season and 32nd of his career, tying him Troy Eklund for 8th place on Arkansas’ all-time home run list.
Back-to-back doubles from Tulsan Stephen Robison and left-fielder Clint Arnold in the second inning, followed by an RBI single by James Ewing increased the Razorbacks’ lead to 4-0.
ORU starting pitcher Daniel Greenwalt lasted just 1.2 innings. He was pulled after Ewing’s single and was charged with four runs on five hits.
The Golden Eagles got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third inning with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Tim Torres.
Oral Robert’s Andy Bouchie got the first hit of Boyce in the fourth inning with a two-out single and Kelly Minissale followed with a RBI double down the left field line to cut the Hogs’ lead to 4-2.
That would end Boyce’s night after allowing two runs – one earned – on two hits in 3.2 innings. He struck out three to tie Mike Oquist for fifth on Arkansas’ career strikeout list.
James Gilbert pitched 2.1 innings in relief of Boyce, allowing one hit and striking out two.
The Razorbacks squandered a prime scoring opportunity in the top of the seventh inning. UA had runners on first and third with no outs but couldn’t get the run home as, ORU reliever Sean Jarrett struck out three straight – Hamblin, Hum and Blake Parker – to retire the side.
The Razorbacks return home this weekend for a three-game set with No. 6 Alabama. The series begins at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, and continues at 4:05 p.m. on Saturday and wraps up at 12:35 p.m. Sunday. All three games can be seen live inside the RazorZone on Hogwired.com.
