MONDAY'S SCORES
@SIUE 13, Oakland 12
SIUE 13, OAKLAND 12
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - SIUE baseball homered its way to a series sweep Monday, hitting six long balls on its way to a 13-12 win over Oakland at Simmons Baseball Complex.
SIUE tied a Division I-era record with six home runs, to lift their season total to 35, which leads the Ohio Valley Conference. The Cougars were No. 7 in the NCAA before Monday's game.
SIUE improved to 9-5 overall and 7-0 at home this season with series sweeps in back-to-back weekends.
SIUE prevailed Monday in a see-saw battle which saw the Cougars come back from three and four-run deficits in the game.
Trailing 4-0 after going to the bottom of the third, Josh Ohl hit a two-run home run to make it 4-2. Brennan Orf and Richie Well homered in the fourth to tie the score.
It was 5-4 Oakland in the sixth when senior catcher Steven Pattan hit his first career home run, a two-run shot, and then Well followed with his second of the day to put SIUE up 7-5.
A four-tun 7th inning pushed the Golden Grizzlies back in front 10-7, before the Cougars scratched across three runs on just a single hit in the bottom of the inning to tie the score. Pattan was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Well walked with the bases loaded and Ohl was hit by a pitch all to force in runs.
Orf struck again in the eighth inning. With two on, he delivered the game-winning blow to straight-away centerfield to push SIUE in front 13-10.
The six home runs mark the third time SIUE has homered six times in a game at the Division I level. The Cougars did it twice last season.
Jake Bockenstedt (2-1) got the win in relief after throwing the last two innings. He struck out four and gave up three runs on four hits. Taylor Bruninga allowed four runs in four innings to start the game. Spencer Smith allowed a run on three hits in two innings and Alex Scherer gave up four runs in just 2/3 of an inning.