Box Score NATCHITOCHES – Alex Gonzales tossed a career-high 13 strikeouts in eight scoreless innings to lead Oral Roberts to a 3-0 victory over the Northwestern State baseball team Thursday night in Southland Conference action.
 
Game two of the series has been dubbed “Senior Night” and will start at 6:30 Friday night.  Festivities for the eight seniors NSU is set to begin at 5:40.
 
Gonzales (8-5) struck out at least one Demon (15-39, 4-21 SLC) in every inning he pitched, including the second inning when he struck out the side in order for the ORU (22-29, 15-10 SLC) effort.
 
“Gonzales is probably a first-rounder (in the Major League Baseball Draft).  I read today in a report that he has the best right-handed slider in the draft,” said head coach Lane Burroughs. “We knew coming in what he was, and he proved to be everything he was built up to be.”
 
He only allowed three hits and one walk.
 
“I think that is the best pitcher we've faced all year, and it's one of those nights you have to tip your hat to their guy,” he said. “I thought our guys battled and competed.  They struck out 13 times, but I still feel like they competed against him.”
 
The Golden Eagles scored one run in three different innings.
 
The opening score came the first inning when leadoff hitter Kevin Cho hit a single up the middle and scored on a double to the left field wall one batter later from Matt Brandy.
 
ORU pushed it to 2-0 in the fifth inning on a single through the right side from Tyler Boss that scored Brandon Healy. Healy was a pinch-runner for Brantley who hurt his ankle on a slide into second base two batters earlier.
 
The final run was in the eighth inning when Nate Goro led off the inning with a single to right field and scored three batters later when Austen Colt singled to right center field.
 
Ashton Sivigliano (2-3) started for Northwestern State and took the loss on two innings pitched with one run on three hits.
 
Andrew Adams pitched three innings and allowed a run on four hits.  A.J. Funk worked two scoreless innings with a walk and two strikeouts.  Zach Krebs allowed the final run on two hits.
 
“I think we pieced our pitching together very well,” said Burroughs. “Our bullpen did a great job tonight because we asked a lot of them.  A lot of these guys threw Tuesday night (against Louisiana Tech).”
 
Brantley had two hits in three at-bats with a run batted in.  Cho was the only other Golden Eagle with a multiple-hit game with two knocks in four tries.
 
Will Watson was one-of-four, and Nick Purdy and Matt Burns were each one-for-three.
 
“At the end of the night, this was one of those games you tip your hat to the guy on the mound for the other side, said Burroughs. “He was built as one of the top pitchers in the country and he proved to be that tonight.”

Senior Matt Farmer (0-1, 3.46 ERA) will get the start on the hill for NSU in Friday's matchup. The final game of the series will be played at 2 o'clock on Saturday.