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Oklahoma State Baseball

Oklahoma State's Season Comes to a Close With 13-3 Loss to UCSB

June 6, 2021
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Oklahoma State’s season has come to an end as the Pokes lost to UC Santa Barbara for the second time in the Tucson Regional, this time 13-3.

The Cowboys finished the 2021 season 36-19-1 overall, 12-12 in conference play.

“You’re going to be disappointed until you win [the College World Series], so it would be shortsighted on my end, and the kid’s end, to let this ending discount the joy that we’ve experienced this year together,” said head coach Josh Holliday. “They’re careers here are not defined by this game. Many of these kids are preparing for a life of excellence in the sport of baseball, or life in general, and that’s a byproduct of what they’ve done here together at Oklahoma State. I would say I’m extremely proud of them; they carried on a proud tradition here of putting us in the postseason once again, of putting us in the conference championship game once again and were parts of many, many firsts in our new ballpark and a 2021 season and quite honestly I appreciate the heck out of these kids.”

Mitchell Stone got the start on the bump for the Cowboys, but he would last just into the second inning giving up eight hits and six earned runs with just two strikeouts and a walk to earn the loss.

The Cowboys finished the day with six combined hits and three runs, two of which runs came in the top of the ninth.

As for UCSB, they had the Cowboys’ number from the start as they finished with 16 total hits and 13 runs, all of them earned.

“Didn’t have a great start, that’s for sure,” said coach Holliday. “[UCSB] came out and got some pressure on us early in the first and got an early lead, then obviously in the second inning they were able to really capitalize on getting some runners on base. We couldn’t quite get any kind of pushback and we couldn’t mount our own big inning to get back on their heels.”

The Cowboys found themselves in an early hole in the elimination game against UCSB. The Gauchos put two runs up in the bottom half of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead, then played some small ball in the bottom half of the second inning with a single and two bunts to load the bases with no outs. The fourth hitter of the inning singled through the right side to plate another run, the seventh hit of the ballgame for UCSB.

Marcos Castanon blasted a bases-clearing double to the deepest part of the field taking their lead up to 6-0, but it wouldn’t stop there. The Gauchos plated two more runs before the Pokes recorded the third out, giving UCSB an 8-0 lead going into the third inning on nine hits.

This forced Rob Walton to bring Trevor Martin into the game, but he last about as long as Stone did as he gave up three hits and four earned runs with just one strikeout and two walks.

Noah Sifrit was brought on in relief in the bottom half of the fourth and recorded a ground out and a strike out, but UCSB would plate another run before Jordan Sprinkle was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.  

Sifrit had a solid fifth as he recorded the side in order via two ground outs and a strikeout. He’d finish the game going four innings giving up four hits and one earned run with three strikeouts.

The Cowboys finally got on the board in the top half of the seventh inning after McCusker scored from third following a Nolan McClean single, bringing the score to 12-1.

Brett Standlee was brought into the game for the eighth inning and would finish the day going one inning giving up one hit and one earned run as the Gauchos put one more on the board to make it 13-1.

The Cowboys battled back in the top half of the ninth as Jake Thompson drew a walk to open the inning, then McCusker doubled to left to advance Thompson to third with no outs. Cade Cabbiness drove a sac fly out to center field to score Thompson from third, bringing up Alix Garcia to pinch hit for Nolan McLean. Garcia battled to a 3-2 count but grounded out to second and advanced McCusker to third. Nick DeNicola pinch hit for Marcus Brown and would single into right field to score McCusker from third, bringing the score to 13-3. However, the threat ended there as Orlando Salinas Jr. struck out to end the inning.

 
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