Oral Roberts tops Oregon to reach World Series

EUGENE, Ore. — Jake McMurray went 4 for 5 with two RBIs and three runs, Mac McCroskey had three RBIs and Oral Roberts beat Oregon 11-6 Sunday to win a back-and-forth best-of-3 Eugene Super Regional.

Oral Roberts (51-12) won the program’s first super regional title and advanced to the College World Series for the second time in school history, 45 years after its first trip to Omaha in 1978.

McMurray’s single drove in Jacob Godman and Justin Quinn’s bunt single loaded the bases before Matt Hogan drew a walk to bring home Blaze Brothers and give Oral Roberts its first lead of the game, and McMurray scored when Mac McCroskey reached on a fielder’s choice to make it 5-3 in the top of the third inning.

Oregon’s Drew Cowley drew a walk to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh before Gavin Grant scored on a sacrifice fly by Sabin Ceballos. Tanner Smith drew a four-pitch walk to once again load the bases but Dalton Patten — who came on earlier in the inning with nobody out and runners on first and second — got Drew Smith (the potential go-ahead run) to fly out to end the inning with Oral Roberts leading 8-5.

Ceballos finished 2 for 2 with a solo homer and Tanner Smith hit a three-run shot for the Ducks (41-22).

Oregon overcame an eight-run deficit to win Game 1 when Drew Cowley hit an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning, snapping the Golden Eagles’ 21-game win streak. Oral Roberts won Game 2 on a two-RBI walkoff single by Justin Quinn after trailing 7-4 in the seventh inning.

Oral Roberts’ Jonah Cox went 1 for 4, extending his hitting streak to 47 games with a single in the third inning.