TULSA, Okla. – Oral Roberts left fielder Cooper Combs singled on a 2-2 count with two out in the 10^th inning Tuesday to hand the Golden Eagles an 8-7 victory over Missouri State at Chapman Park.
 
The Bears (2-5) raced out of the gates with a five-run first inning, loading the bases on free passes, scoring once when Curry Sutherland was hit by a pitch before Max Knight's grand slam staked MoState to a 5-0 lead.
 
ORU (5-2) used four singles, a hit batter, a walk and an error to close the gap to 5-4 in the third, and the score remained the same until the seventh frame.
 
The Golden Eagles took their first lead in the seventh inning at 7-5 after two singles, two walks and a double, and then had the Bears down to their final strike in the ninth inning.
 
With the bases empty and two out, Nick Rodriguez singled on a full count to start the rally, and Zack Stewart following by homering on a 1-2 pitch for the 7-7 tie.
 
Knight (0-2) moved to the mound for the Bears in the ninth and got a strikeout with the winning run in scoring position and was a strike away from escaping another jam in the 10^th.
 
In the final frame, ORU had runners on second and third with nobody out when Knight induced a ground out and strikeout before Combs' grounder managed to find a hole in the right side for the ORU victory.
 
Knight and Tyler Epstein had two-hit days, while Epstein also stole a base and teamed with Rodriguez to turn a pair of double plays.
 
The Bears open the home schedule this weekend with a three-game series against Louisiana Monroe. Game times are 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.