Roy Keane will be sick to death of playing Preston after three defeats against the Lilywhites since taking charge of Sunderland.
Stephen Elliott had an early chance for the visitors after just three minutes when he hit a right-foot shot from ten yards wide.
The Black Cats had the better of the first 25 minutes and Liam Miller had the first corner of the game to Sunderland after 17 minutes, but it was cleared.
Daryl Murphy had a 15-yard left-foot shot from the left channel deflected off Liam Chilvers for a left-wing corner and Miller saw a 20-yard left-foot shot from the right channel saved by home keeper Carlo Nash.
Preston central midfielder Paul McKenna played a great ball to striker Ormerod and he was clear and chose to chip the Sunderland keeper Darren Ward right-footed from ten yards, but the ball went narrowly wide.
Miller was then booked for a foul on Ormerod after half an hour.
Preston's goal came a minute later when a great pass by Callum Davidson found Ormerod on the left of the penalty area and he went around the keeper before curling a ten-yard right-foot shot into the net around defender Jonny Evans.
Ward mis-kicked a clearance and conceded Preston's first corner on the right wing which Danny Pugh took but the danger was cleared.
Millier received a red card after 37 minutes when he pulled back David Nugent and got his second yellow card.
Then Ormerod received the ball from Nugent just six yards out and his shot was saved by Ward's legs.
Sunderland brought on Dwight Yorke for Tobias Hysen just after the sending-off, but Preston went in with a one-goal lead at half time.
Stanislav Varga was booked for dissent and Matt Hill had a six-yard header which went wide from a McKenna left-wing corner when the second half began.
Sunderland then brought on debutant Carlos Edwards for Murphy.
Elliott had a 15-yard shot blocked by Kelvin Wilson for a right-wing corner and Lewis Neal then replaced Chris Sedgwick.
Nugent had an acrobatic 25-yard right-foot volley saved by Ward and Ormerod headed wide from close range from a Graham Alexander right-wing cross soon after.
With 15 minutes to go Pugh was booked for pulling the shirt of Elliott and the free-kick by Ross Wallace was curled wide of the post from 30 yards.
David Connolly, Sunderland's best player, had two chances. A 20-yard right-foot shot saved and another shot that was well saved by Nash as Preston held on to progress.