Oklahoma State Pitching Collapses as Arkansas Scores Eight Late to Win Big, 20-12

STILLWATER – It was an exciting back-and-forth game for seven innings in Stillwater, but a pitching collapse by Oklahoma State in the top of the eighth saw Arkansas plate eight runs to pull off the comeback, 20-12.

The Cowboys will face Missouri State in an elimination game on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT. The winner will turn around and face Arkansas in the final at 6 p.m. CT.

Roman Phansalkar was credited with the loss, going just 0.1 innings, giving up three earned runs on just one hit and two hit batters.

19 of the 20 runs scored by the Razorbacks were earned, with them scoring the 20th run on a throwing error.

The Cowboys had a commanding lead going into the seventh inning, which was coupled with a really solid outing by starting pitcher, Justin Campbell, but that’s when the wheels started to fall off on the pitching side of things. Hueston Morrill gave up three runs in the top half of the seventh inning, all off of home runs, which brought in Roman Phansalkar.

Phansalker loaded the bases in the top half of the eighth inning, giving up a single and walking two-straight. Rob Walton put Nolan McLean on the mound to try and get out of the inning, but McLean proceeded to walk in four runs with just one out, giving the Razorbacks a two-run lead, 12-10.

McLean was moved back to third as Trevor Martin was brought in to try and limit the existing damage and get out of things. However, his first pitch was hit into the parking out outside the left field wall to put Arkansas up six runs, 16-10.

While pitching in the last few innings was disastrous for the Pokes, it doesn’t take away from the offensive firepower we saw from the Pokes in the first six innings.

Roc Riggo, Nolan McLean and Chase Adkison all had great nights at the plate. Riggo drove in five RBIs on four hits, including a single, a double and a three-run home run in the bottom of the third.

As for McLean, he reached base five times, getting walked three times and recording two hits, one of which was a rocket shot into the left field parking lot. He also struck out twice.

On the mound, McLean went just 0.1 innings, giving up four earned runs on three walks and one hit batter.

Adkison safely reached in nearly every one of his at-bats, going 2-for-4 from the plate, including two walks and an RBI.

The Cowboys showed a little bit of life in the bottom half of the eighth inning as they put two runners on, both on walks. Jake Thompson advanced both Caeden Trenkle and Jaxson Crull to second and third on a sac hit. Brett Brown then drove both of them in with a single into left field, getting the Pokes back within four, 16-12.

However, the Razorbacks blasted a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to go up seven, 19-12, with just one out. After another hit-by-pitch, a grounder up the middle would’ve ended the inning for the Pokes, but a throwing error by Marcus Brown scored the runner from second to put Arkansas up 20-12.