Cowboy Baseball Wins Third In Row
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State ran its winning streak to three Wednesday with a 5-4 win over Dallas Baptist at O'Brate Stadium.
With the win, the No. 7 Cowboys improved to 10-6 on the season. The victory was also a milestone for head coach Josh Holliday as he moved into second place on the program's career coaching wins list with 330 (Gary Ward is atop that list with 953).
Jake Thompson led the way for the Pokes with a big night at the plate as he went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and four RBIs. David Mendham brought home the other OSU run.
Bayden Root picked up the win on the mound in relief of starter Bryce Osmond to improve to 2-0 as the righty worked two shutout innings and struck out a pair. Trevor Martin collected his fifth save, striking out two of the three batters he faced in a perfect ninth inning.
The Cowboys didn't waste any time getting on the scoreboard against the Patriots (9-7). Back-to-back walks from Roc Riggio and Zach Ehrhard led off the top of the first, and Thompson followed that with a triple down the right-field line to drive in both runners. Two batters later, Mendham grounded out to first to bring Thompson home and make it a 3-0 lead.
DBU scratched across their first run of the game in the second. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with two outs before a wild pitch allowed the runner from third to score, making it a 3-1 ballgame.
The Patriots managed to score two more in the third. A single and a walk with a flyout in between set up two on with two outs. Andrew Benefield then roped a ball down the left-field line for a double that drove in both runners and tied the game at 3-3.
DBU took the lead in the sixth on the only home run of the day as Luke Heefner sent a 2-1 pitch into the Cowboy bullpen with two outs to put the Cowboys behind 4-3.
Osmond finished his night on the mound with six strikeouts in six innings of work. He allowed four runs on six hits and three walks.
The Cowboys would get a big answer in the seventh. Chase Adkison was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and Ehrhard singled to right field to put runners at the corners with one out and Thompson coming to the plate. With a full count, Thompson lined a high fastball into the right-center field gap for his third hit of the day, driving in both baserunners and giving OSU the 5-4 advantage.
The Cowboys return to action Thursday when they open a four-game series against Seton Hall at O'Brate Stadium. The opener has been rescheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch.