Cowboys Roll Again and Fans Have Plenty to Chew on at O'Brate
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State has been living a perfect life so far this baseball season and I had to ask my friend and senior associate athletic director Kevin Klintworth if he knew the record for most wins in a row to open a brand new baseball stadium. He and I both knew the record at Oklahoma State was up for grabs as the Cowboys lost the first game to Missouri in Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. The number at O’Brate Stadium where you can also get some tasty snacks during the game is five. The Cowboys opened the second full series at O’Brate with a 11-5 win over Grand Canyon University on Friday.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand came into the start of that second full series in O’Brate hot. How hot? He was hitting just .267, but those eight base hits included three doubles and three home runs with a total of six RBI.
After Parker Scott, off to a strong start with a Justin Campbell-like six strike outs in the first three innings gave up a run in the top of the fourth when Grand Canyon left fielder Elijah Buries singled up the middle with two outs and Juan Colato on second. The slow rolling single allowed Colato to come around and score. The first run allowed by the Cowboys in 23 innings made the score 1-0.
Here came the Cowboys bats and Encarnacion-Strand, in particular, to the rescue. With two outs designated hitter Nolan McLean drove a double over Buries head to the wall in left-center field. After jake Thompson got plunked by a 91-miles-per-hour breaking ball by Grand Canyon starting pitcher Zach Barnes to put runners at first and second. Encarnacion-Strand stepped up and took a Barnes delivery and crushed it into the visitor’s bullpen for a 3-1 lead.
A long game that went over three and a half hours the fans at O’Brate Stadium had a chance to check out the food fare in the new park. Down the third base side you will find a ballpark favorite in Dippin Dots. The Dots cart stocks chocolate, vanilla, banana split, and Cowboys cookies and cream.
Also, down the third base line you will find Freddy’s Steakburger and I only had to ask once what is the best seller.
“Bacon cheeseburger, everything is better with bacon,” said the man behind the counter.
Down the first base line is a Stillwater legend. If you want to eat what the students are eating down on the Washington Street Strip then grab a Curty, there is a wide variety, but owner of The Curty Shack, Sarah Cazzelle made us a “Dirty Curty”. What I learned is that if bacon makes a burger better then throw some cream cheese on a chili dog and you have yourself a Curty. I have to admit I prefer that Cincinnati chili that Sarah uses. It’s big league.
As you take in O’Brate make sure you try some of the great food offerings while you enjoy Cowboy baseball.
In the bottom of the sixth the Cowboys doubled their total when Alix Garcia hit into a fielder’s choice with bases loaded and a throwing error by Lopes second baseman Juan Colato allowed Encanarcion-Strand and Jake Thompson to score. Another run scored on a sacrifice fly by Cade Cabbiness and the Pokes led it 6-1.
Cabbiness also had a circus catch of a foul ball down the right field line during the ballgame.
Grand Canyon scored a run in the top of the seventh to make it 6-2. In the bottom of the eighth the Cowboys shortstop Matt Golda broke out of his season starting slump with a double down the left field line and that knocked in two runs. The doubled came after Thompson had scored just before on a wild pitch. In fact, two more runs scored after Golda’s double and both of those were on wild pitches. It was good the Cowboys built up the advantage to 11-2 because things got sloppy in the top of the ninth.
Channy Ortiz was part of a Grand Canyon effort that roughed up Cowboys pitcher John Kelly. Ortiz had a three-run homer as the Lopes batted around and scored three runs on four hits, but the game finally ended.
The Cowboys stay unbeaten at 8-0 and Grand Canyon drops to 3-5. Parker Scott got the win on the mound to go to 3-0. Zach Barnes was the loser for the Lopes.
Oklahoma State and Grand Canyon will get back after it on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. Expected starters are lefty Justin Wrobleski for the Cowboys and right-hander Pierson Ohl will go for the Lopes.