Cowboys Run It up on Oklahoma in Bedlam at the Big 12 Tournament

OKLAHOMA CITY – The sixth meeting of the season between Bedlam rivals on the diamond came as the nightcap of a long first full day of baseball at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. This Bedlam meeting was the most important as four-seed Oklahoma State was looking to move on in the tournament knowing already that top-seed Texas lost 5-1 in the game before against West Virginia. Five-seed Oklahoma was looking to overcome a below .500 conference record and a 27-26 overall record to try and earn a bid into the NCAA. The Cowboys used a couple of home runs to take the lead, but it was a four-run fifth inning that ran OU starting pitcher Jason Ruffcorn out of the game and pushed the Cowboys on to a 9-5 win. It was the fourth win over Oklahoma by Oklahoma State this season.

Big 12 Newcomer Christian Encanarcion-Strand ripped a double to left field off the wall, Jake Thompson walked, Carson McCusker struck out, and then Cabe Cabbiness walked to load the bases. The first run scored on a single to left by designated hitter Marcus Brown.

Then after a conversation with head coach Josh Holliday Brock Mathis got hit by a Ruffcorn fast ball in the upper arm. That will bring a bruise but it also brought in a run as Thompson scored to make it 4-0. Matt Golda, playing short for the injured Hueston Morrill hit a ground ball up the middle that shortstop  Brandon Zaragoza got to, bobbled, but still threw Golda out and Cabbiness scored to make it 5-0.

Finally, Caeden Trenkle hit a hard ground ball that ate up second baseman Conor McKenna and Trenkle was safe at first, but after Marcus Brown scored, Mathis tried to do the same and was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Oklahoma State had broke it open 6-0.

Ruffcorn was out during that inning and the Oklahoma ace in four and a third innings allowed seven hits, three walks, two hit-by-pitch, and all six runs. Wyatt Olds came on in relief and got Oklahoma out of the inning. Olds did not stay long, and it was apparent that OU was starting to think about pitching preservation.

The Cowboys wasted no time in taking the lead as Trenkle took the first pitch in the bottom of the first from Ruffcorn and put it over the wall just left of dead center field.

In the fourth inning the Cowboys doubled the lead to 2-0 when Golda hit a home run with a rope over the wall in left field.

Oklahoma State Athletics

Campbell was strong vs, OU. He hit 100 strike outs on the season.

Justin Campbell was outstanding in the start for the Cowboys. The well-rested Campbell gave up just three hits, walked just one, and struck out seven. None of the strike outs were more impressive than in fifth inning when he got angry that the umpire granted McKenna time during his at bat and right as Campbell was delivering a pitch. Campbell yelling in the direction of the Cowboys dugout and proceeded to fool McKenna out of spite.

Campbell was the winner to go 7-1 on the season and he did go over 100 strike outs on the season. 

How bad did it get for OU? In the bottom of the seventh with bases loaded, Trenkle grounded the ball to McKenna, but taking kind of laissez faire approach allowed the Cowboys to come in safe with the throw at second and a run scored. Max Hewitt drew a walk from Legend Smith and that made the score 8-0. Encarnacion-Strand hit a sacrifice fly that made it 9-0.

Oklahoma built a little momentum toward Thursday and their elimination game with five runs in the top of the ninth as Oklahoma State pitching finished sloppy and wild after Campbell started so sharp. 

Oklahoma State is now 33-16-1 and will play West Virginia in a scheduled 7:30 p.m. Thursday game. Oklahoma falling to 27-27 will play Texas (40-14) in a scheduled elimination game at 12:30 p.m. In fa,ct, it would look like Oklahoma would need to beat Texas to have any chance of making an NCAA Regional next week.