Cowboys Collapse in Opening Round of Tucson Regional, Fall 14-4 to UCSB

It was a rough day at the ballpark for Oklahoma State as the Cowboys fell 14-4 to UC Santa Barbara in the opening round of the Tucson Regional.

With the loss, the Cowboys will face the loser of the Arizona-Grand Canyon matchup on Saturday.

It was Justin Campbell who got the start for the Pokes, but really struggled from the start. He finished going 6.0 innings giving up 10 hits, eight runs, six of which were earned, with just two strikeouts and three walks.

Bryce Osmond came in for relief and gave up six hits and six runs, all earned in just 3.0 innings.

Rodney Boone was electric for the Gauchos as he went just a little over 7.0 innings giving up seven hits, four runs, three of which were earned, with 11 strikeouts and just two walks.

UCSB struck first in the top of the first, but the Cowboys answered in the bottom half of the inning with Max Hewitt scoring from third on a throwing error from the shortstop. The Gauchos put two more runs across in the top half of the fourth, but Jake Thompson answered in the bottom half with a homer to put the Pokes back within one, 3-2.

That’s when things started to fall apart for the Pokes.

The Gauchos put five runs across in the fifth and sixth innings to extend their lead up to 8-2, before Hewitt scored from third on a Cade Cabbiness-ground out to first, getting the Pokes back within five.

Alix Garcia came into hit for Matt Golda in the bottom of the seventh. On the seventh pitch, Garcia drove a hit deep to center field for a one-out stand-up double, just the second extra-base hit for the Cowboys on the day. Orlando Salinas Jr. was brough in to pinch run for Garcia and would advance to third on a wild pitch from Boone with two outs.

Max Hewitt had a chance to drive him home, but Boone picked up his 10th strikeout of the day to end in the inning.

Thompson started the bottom half of the eighth with a stand-up double, then was driven in by Carson McCusker in the next at-bat, bringing the Pokes back within five, 9-4. With one out and McCusker on first, Cabbiness had a chance to continue to chip away at the Gauchos lead, but with the first pitch of new pitcher Carter Benbrook’s outing, Cabbiness hit into a double play to end the inning.

The woes would continue for the Pokes as UCSB put five runs across in the top half of the ninth to extend their lead up to 14-4, finishing the day with 18 hits.