Mendham Solo HR and RBI Double Paces Oklahoma State Over Sun Devils

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State extended its winning streak to six Tuesday with an 8-4 victory over Arizona State at O'Brate Stadium. With the win, the 13th-ranked Cowboys improved to 9-3, while the Sun Devils dropped to 6-6.

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Steebens four and a third innings steadied the game.

David Mendham led the batting charge for the Cowboys as he went 2-for-5 with a home run, double and two RBIs. Nolan Schubart also collected a pair of RBIs.

Isaac Stebens starred in relief for the Pokes, wrangling up 4 1/3 shutout innings and three strikeouts to earn the win and improve to 2-0.

In OSU's third at-bat of the game, Mendham launched a line-drive solo homer to right-center field to put the Pokes up 1-0.

“I just try to kee things simple,” Mendham said of his hot streak that has him hitting .388 with four home runs and 11 RBI so far early in the season. “I have been working on my top hand more and it keeps the bat more flat going through the zone.”

That was exactly what it took to get the ball to line drive out of the ball park on a day where the wind was blowing in and knocking down fly balls. 

ASU responded in the third, stringing together three runs on three hits while looking to expand upon it with the bases loaded. But with two outs, Stebens came out of the bullpen and recorded a pivotal strikeout to keep the OSU deficit at 3-1.

Mendham re-entered the conversation in the bottom of the inning, delivering an RBI double in his second at-bat and scoring the tying run on an RBI single by Nolan McLean.

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Meola celebrates with the dugout in the 5^th inning.

OSU reclaimed its lead in the fifth inning, picking up three runs which were headlined by an Aidan Meola RBI single. Meola's hit brought home the go-ahead run, and a throwing error on the play made the score 5-3. Meola later stole home to push the Cowboys' lead to three.

The Sun Devils trimmed their deficit to two on Isaiah Jackson's RBI double in the eighth, but the home team responded in the bottom of the inning on Schubart's two-out, bloop single that plated two and made the score 8-4.

The two teams conclude the midweek series Wednesday at noon.