Final Stats 1 | Final Stats 2 TULSA, Okla. – After waiting a day to begin the series, the Nicholls State University baseball team was nearly done in by two big home runs in the first inning in each game of a doubleheader, but the Colonels rallied to earn a spilt of the day's action falling to Oral Roberts 7-2 in the opener and winning the second game 12-9 on Saturday at J.L. Johnson Stadium in Tulsa.
 
Trailing 8-2 in game two, Nicholls rallied to score ten runs in three innings in the middle and late innings to force the split after being stymied in the first game to the tune of 12 strikeouts and just two runs.
 
Tyler Duplantis and Brandon Jackson finished with four hits each on the day, as Duplantis hit .500 with a double, while Jackson averaged .444 with a double and two runs scored.
 
The team got outhit 30-17 on Saturday, as the starting pitching struggled to open games. However, the relief pitching of Grant Borne, who appeared in both games, Kelby Langston and Jordan McCoy held ORU off of the board in their outings.
 
The finale between the two teams will take place at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
 
Game Two: Nicholls 12, ORU 9
 
The Nicholls State University baseball team scored ten runs over the course of three innings against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles to earn a 12-9 win in game two of a doubleheader on Saturday evening in Tulsa.
 
Although the Colonels (23-21, 6-11 SLC) managed nine hits in the game, Nicholls was aided by four ORU (14-26, 9-8 SLC) errors, with two coming in a big, four-run seventh that gave the team its first lead of the day and push the Colonels over the top for the win.
 
Brandon Jackson was 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored to lead Nicholls at the plate, followed by Tyler Duplantis who earned multiple hits in each contest going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Mike Barba ignited the Colonels with his two-run home run in the second, as Matt Richard drove in three runs on one hit while scoring once.
 
By the time he came in, Grant Borne (3-0) was trying to keep the game close while Nicholls made its charge and earned the win after pitching 3.2 innings allowing just three hits with five strikeouts. Starter Kory Delange was hit big early and gave up eight runs, seven earned, on ten hits with a walk. Jordan McCoy (8) earned the save after closing the door in the ninth with a one-hit performance.
 
Recent history repeated itself in the bottom of the first in the second game, as Jose Trevino struck again with another three-run bomb following an RBI single to put the Golden Eagles up 4-0.
 
An error to open the second put Jackson on first, with a single by Cormier putting the two at the corners with no outs. A wild pitch advanced Cormier to second, with a walk putting Duplantis on to load the bases. A fielder's choice grounder scored Jackson keeping runners at the corners on the force out to second, with a Cody Dufrene sacrifice fly driving in Cormier to make it 4-2.
 
After another four-run inning by the Golden Eagles in the bottom of the fourth, Nicholls got some power of its own in the fifth as Barba drilled a shot just over the left field fence after a walk to Dufrene to cut the lead in half, 8-4. Richard was plunked on the arm to reach base, advancing all the way to third after a wild pitch and fly ball, with a single by Jackson scoring the outfielder to make it 8-5.
 
After making it 9-5 in the fifth, a single and walk prompted a pitching change that did little good as Dufrene earned an RBI double scoring Duplantis who singled to open the sixth inning. Barba got hit to load the bases and prompted another ORU pitching change, with a sacrifice fly and throwing error keeping runners on second and third. A wild pitch scored Dufrene to make it 9-8, but a strikeout and fly ball ended the inning.
 
Nicholls blew the game open in the seventh, as singles by Jackson and Duplantis put two on the corners with one out. After a fielder's choice put two outs on the board, a walk loaded the bases and trouble came on the very next play as two throwing errors allowed two to cross the plate giving Nicholls its first lead of the day. Richard followed that up with a two-RBI single to center scoring Barba and Dufrene to give Nicholls the 12-9 advantage.
 
Game One: Oral Roberts 7, Nicholls 2
 
A big three-run shot in the bottom of the first set the tone and the Nicholls State University baseball team trailed from the start as the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles took game one of the series 7-2 on Saturday afternoon.
 
After pulling within two runs after four, ORU (14-25, 9-7 SLC) extended the lead after getting four runs in the fifth on four hits and three Nicholls (22-21, 5-11 SLC) errors to go up 7-1 and never look back even as the Colonels had three consecutive innings of getting runners to third base.
 
Tyler Duplantis was the only player on the squad with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, with Philip Lyons and Adam Seal driving in an RBI each with their only hits.
 
Mike Suk (1-5) lasted just four innings, allowing all nine runs, six earned, with a walk and three strikeouts, with Kelby Langston pitching the next 3.2 allowing a run on three hits and Grant Borne getting the final out with a strikeout.
 
It didn't take long for the Golden Eagles to strike the biggest blow of the game in the bottom half of the opening frame, as a three-run home run by ORU's Jose Trevino put the home side up three on three hits in the inning.
 
A double by Matt Richard down the left field line was the first hit of the day for the Colonels to open the fourth inning, advancing to third on a grounder. He scored right after that play on a double by Lyons to right field to make it a 3-1 game, but Lyons was thrown out at third trying to turn the double into a triple for the second out. A swinging strikeout ended the inning.
 
ORU put up four runs on four hits in the fifth, taking a 7-1 lead midway through the contest. The Golden Eagles were aided by three Nicholls errors in the inning, as Suk exited the game being replaced by Langston.
 
Seal garnered his seventh hit of the season to drive in Duplantis in the ninth, making it 7-2 to close the game.