Tommies fall short of comeback, lose 7-4 to Oral Roberts

St. Thomas overcame a rough start offensively but could not fully recover in a 7-4 loss to Oral Roberts in game one Friday in St. Paul. The Golden Eagles wasted little time building their lead, scoring once in the first inning before using a two-run homer in the second and two more runs in the third to jump ahead 5-0.

Despite the early damage, starting pitcher Brayden Olson settled in well after the first few innings and gave the Tommies valuable length on the mound. Olson worked 6 1/3 innings while striking out five, keeping Oral Roberts from extending its lead further and allowing St. Thomas a chance to battle back into contention.

The Tommies answered in the third inning with a three-run rally sparked by RBI contributions from Joe Roder and Easton Fritcher. They added another run in the fourth on Tanner Recchio’s sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 5-4. Fritcher and Owen Bond each finished with two hits to lead the offense, while Bond added a triple and Roder drove in two runs.

St. Thomas remained within striking distance into the late innings, but Oral Roberts added two key insurance runs in the eighth to seal the win. While the Tommies showed resilience after their early struggles, the Golden Eagles’ timely power hitting and fast start proved too much to overcome in the series opener.