Power Bats Lead ORU Past Western Michigan, 13-2

The Golden Eagles (3-6) opened the scoring in the first inning when Chris Elder plated Joey Winiecki with a single to right for a 1-0 lead.

Colby Price led off the second inning with a solo home run, his team-leading second of the season, for a 2-0 lead. Brett Sowers followed with a double and scored two batters later on a single by Tyler Garewal as ORU took a 3-0 lead. Tyler Saladino made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly.

Saladino broke the game open in the fourth with a three-run homer as ORU gained a 7-0 advantage.

Western Michigan (2-9) got on the board in the top of the fifth when Jamie Simpson knocked in a pair of runs with a one out single against ORU starter Bryce Smolen, cutting the lead to 7-2.

Brett Sowers got one of the runs back with a one-out solo home run in the fifth, giving the Golden Eagles an 8-2 advantage. Robert Barbosa jumped in on the home run parade when his two-run blast in the bottom of the seventh gave ORU a 10-2 lead.

Price belted his second home run of the game leading off the eighth, part of a three-run inning.

Mark Guest (1-0) picked up the win with 4.2 innings of hitless work in relief of Smolen. Guest struck out four and walked four. Smolen went 4.1 innings and surrendered two runs (one earned) on seven hits while walking one and striking out a pair in his first career start.

Saladino led ORU’s 16-hit offensive effort, going 3-for-5 with five RBI. Sowers and Garewal each had three hits for the Golden Eagles.

Brian Stroud (0-3) suffered the loss for Western Michigan, allowing eight runs on 10 hits in 4.2 innings.

The Golden Eagles and Broncos resume their series at 2 p.m., Saturday.