Cowboy Baseball Defeats Wichita State Again
STILLWATER – For the second time in a week, Oklahoma State picked up a win over Wichita State as the No. 3 Cowboys knocked off the Shockers, 8-5, Tuesday night at O’Brate Stadium.
With the win, OSU improved to 24-9 on the season, including a 14-4 mark on its home field. The Shockers are now 13-19.
In his first appearance of the season on the mound, Hueston Morrill worked a perfect two innings out of the bullpen to earn his first-career win as he struck out four of the six batters he faced.
David Mendham turned in a 3-for-4 night at the plate that included a pair of RBIs, while Griffin Doersching and Brett Brown both homered.
The Cowboys wasted no time capturing an early lead in this one. Back-to-back hit by pitches to lead off the bottom of the first, followed by a groundout that advanced both runners, set up two in scoring position with one out. Doersching then drove in a run with a groundout before Mendham doubled to bring in another, making it a 2-0 OSU lead.
The Shockers got a run back in the third. With two outs in the inning, Brock Rodden hit a 1-1 pitch from starter Trevor Martin that carried over the fence in left field for a solo home run, cutting the lead in half. It was the only run allowed by Martin, who struck out
Both teams remained quiet until the sixth inning, when the Cowboys opened up their lead. After a leadoff single from Jake Thompson, Doersching crushed a 2-1 pitch just inside the left-field foul pole for a two-run shot that was measured at 500 feet. It was Doesrching’s second home run of the year and first since returning from injury.
Later in the inning, a Marcus Brown single brought home another run to make it 5-1.
OSU added another run in the seventh. A leadoff walk, groundout and wild pitch led to a runner on third with one out, and after a strikeout, Mendham singled to give the Cowboys a 6-1 advantage.
The Cowboys would extend their lead one final time in the eighth. Aidan Meola tripled, narrowly missing his first career home run, and two batters later, Brown hammered a two-run home run to left-center field to make it an 8-1 ballgame.
WSU mounted a late rally in the ninth, getting a one-out grand slam from Seth Stroh, but Nolan McLean recorded the second of his two strikeouts in the inning to end the game.
The Cowboys return to Big 12 action Friday when they face conference leader West Virginia in Morgantown. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. (CST).