BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University baseball find late-game heroics in back-to-back games to down Roosevelt twice in a Tuesday afternoon doubleheader. Jacob Bulthuis drove in the game-winning run in a 6-4 victory in the first contest and Kai Hudson scored the game-winning run in an 8-6 win in game two.

GAME 1: ONU 6, RU 4

Aren Gustafson took the mound as ONU's starter striking out eight batters in six innings pitched. The Lakers tallied the first runs of the ballgame in the third inning as a double down the line drove in two runs. Outside of two singles in the first inning, the Tigers went hitless until the fifth inning with Jacob Bulthuis singling to right field. ONU threatened with men on third and first and only one out, but grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. RU's sacrifice fly increased their lead to three in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Olivet's bats came to life in the sixth inning scoring four runs. Nolan Louis began the rally with a single back up the middle with Tyler Wheeler and Kai Hudson following suit to load up the bases. Bulthuis registered his 18^th and 19^th RBIs of the year as a base-hit to center scoring two. Hudson reached home on an error by the Roosevelt first baseman and Alex Ortiz's RBI single accounted for the third and fourth runs to give the Purple and Gold their first lead of the day.

The home team responded in the bottom half of the sixth inning to tie the score at 4-4. Thomas Burns entered the game in relief for the seventh inning in hopes to send the game to extra innings. With two outs and the tying run on first, Wheeler's pickoff throw down to second base caught the Laker's baserunner stealing for the final out of regulation.

Entering the bottom of the eighth, Bulthuis quickly put the Tigers in scoring position with a lead-off triple that found a gap in right-center field. The very next at-bat saw Gunnar Pullins' base-hit score the game-winning run. Robert Jackman tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single to grow the score to 6-4. Burns claimed his second win of the year by retiring the side in the bottom half of the inning.

GAME 2: ONU 8, RU 6

The Tigers quickly jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the top half of the first inning. ONU recorded hits and/or reached base via a walk in each of their first five at-bats. Nolan Louis' double to right field opened the scoring with Robert Jackman crossing Homeplate. Kai Hudson kept the line moving as his single to center field scored Ryan Russmann. Jacob Bulthuis' sacrifice fly was the first out of the ballgame but drove in Louis to expand the lead to 3-0. With the next at-bat, Gunnar Pullins' two-RBI single to right field scored runs four and five. Alex Ortiz rounded out the scoring for the inning as his RBI line out to left field tallied the sixth run of the game.

RU's bats were lively early as well responding with three runs in the top half of the first inning. The Lakers hit two singles driving in three runs. Roosevelt continued scoring in the second inning as a double to left-center field scored two additional runs and cut the lead to just one. Jonathan Simpson was introduced into the contest in relief and settled down the Tigers defensively. In five and one-third innings of work, the righthanded senior struck out five batters and gave up four hits. The home team manufactured the game-tying run in the sixth inning to complete the comeback.

ONU put an end to the Laker's run in the top of the seventh inning when Hudson reached third base on a well-driven ball to left field and recorded his second RBI of the game. The St. Petersburg, Fla. native proceed to touch home after a wild pitch for the all-important insurance run. Simpson came back out to the mound looking to secure his second win of the campaign. Roosevelt loaded the bases with two outs. The Tampa native struck out the final batter of the game to extend Olivet's win streak to 13.

GAME VITALS

Records: Olivet Nazarene 20-14 (13-2 CCAC) | Roosevelt 12-13 (6-4 CCAC)

WHAT's NEXT?

The Tigers will complete the three-game series with Roosevelt tomorrow as they host the Lakers at Watson Field. The first pitch for the afternoon ballgame is slated for 3 p.m. CST. Please visit onutigers.com for all the updated links to follow the action.

--ONU—

*Contact: Patrick Kaindl, Sports Information Graduate Assistant