Cowboys Home Run and Pitch Their Way to a Texas Beat Down
AUSTIN, Texas – Oklahoma State smashed four home runs for the second consecutive day en route to a series-clinching 14-3 win over No. 6 Texas Saturday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. With the victory, the No. 7 Cowboys secured their fifth Big 12 series win of the season as they improved to 30-13 overall and strengthened their spot atop the conference standings at 12-5.
OSU has won six of its nine regular season series against Texas under head coach Josh Holliday, who now owns a career record of 22-11 against the Longhorns.
Every starter in the OSU lineup collected a hit in the game, and Jake Thompson, Griffin Doersching, David Mendham and Nolan McLean each homered for the Pokes. Those four home runs added to Friday night’s four and the Cowboys have eight home runs so far in Austin this weekend.
Bryce Osmond worked 5 1/3 shutout innings to improve to 4-1 as the right-hander allowed just one hit, that coming on a leadoff double in the sixth, and struck out six.
Hueston Morrill took the mound for the final 3 2/3 innings and tallied five strikeouts to collect his first-career save.
OSU took the game's initial lead in the second inning. Following a single by McLean and a double by Marcus Brown, Caeden Trenkle was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Up next, Ian Daugherty delivered a sacrifice fly to center field to put the Pokes up 1-0.
The Cowboys doubled their lead to 2-0 in the fourth when Mendham continued his power surge, leading off the inning with his third home run of the series and seventh of the season.
OSU increased its lead via the long ball again in the fifth. This time it was Thompson smacking his 10th of the year, tying him for the team lead, as the solo shot gave the Pokes a 3-0 advantage.
The sixth would prove pivotal The sixth would prove pivotal as the Cowboys took total command, scoring seven runs on four hits, all coming with two outs.
Daugherty brought home the first run with the first of three consecutive RBI singles as Roc Riggio and Zach Ehrhard followed suit to make the score 6-0.
After the seventh run scored on a wild pitch, Doersching smashed a three-run homer out of the stadium onto the grass berm beyond the wall in left-center field. The blast was his fifth round tripper of the season.
The Pokes got a homer from McLean in the seventh before plating three more runs in the eighth to go up 14-0.
The play of the day likely was on defense as with two outs and bases loaded for Texas, shortstop Marcus Brown made this “Willie Mayes” style catch for the final out preserving at least two runs that could have helped Texas make it more competitive.
Texas (31-15, 9-8) scored its lone runs in the eighth on a three-run homer by Austin Todd.
Sunday's series finale is scheduled for a 1 p.m. first pitch.