Texas Tech Comes Back and Walks Off Oklahoma State in Big 12 Opener
(Robert Allen, publisher of Poke Report contributed to this story written by Wade McWhorter of Oklahoma State University athletic media relations.)
LUBBOCK, Texas – Oklahoma State had its 12-game winning streak snapped in its Big 12 opener Friday night as the Cowboys dropped an 8-7 contest to Texas Tech in 10 innings at Rip Griffin Park. The 12th-ranked Cowboys fell to 15-4 with the loss, while the No. 12 Red Raiders improved to 17-3.
Carson Benge led OSU offensively as he went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, while Nolan Schubart and Aidan Meola each had two hits.
Brian Hendry started on the mound for the Cowboys and worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs – all of them unearned – and striking out three. Nolan McLean took the loss on the mound as he worked the final 2 1/3 innings and fell to 0-1.
Benge put the Cowboys on top in the first inning. Jaxson Crull led off the game with a walk, and following a two-out double by Schubart, Benge brought the runners home with a single to give OSU a 2-0 lead.
TTU trimmed the Pokes' lead in half in the second, plating an unearned run following a passed ball and an error. But OSU answered in the third, as Benge once again delivered another two-out single to bring home a run and make the score 3-1.
The Cowboys doubled their score in the fourth to take a five-run advantage. Meola led off the inning with a double and later scored OSU's first run on an RBI groundout by Chase Adkison.
Following back-to-back walks to Crull and Roc Riggio, Mendham slapped a single through the left side to bring home a run before Schubart smacked a ground-rule double into the left-center field gap to push the lead to 6-1.
OSU padded its lead with another run in the fifth, this one on an RBI single off the bat of Crull, before TTU plated two more unearned runs in the bottom of the inning on a Benge error to make the score 7-3.
The Cowboys held the four-run lead until the eighth when TTU rallied to tie the score. The Red Raiders loaded the bases with one out on a walk, single and hit by pitch. After another walk to bring home a run, McLean came out of the bullpen and gave up two-straight singles leading to three runs and knotting the score at 7-7.
In the decisive 10th, an infield single and throwing error put the winning run on second with one out. Following an intentional walk and a pop up for an out, Gavin Kash doubled to left field to give the Red Raiders the win.
It would be easy to blame the bottom of the eighth or the bottom of the 10th, but it was throughout the game as Oklahoma State gave up the three unearned runs early. A team that had six errors in the 18 games leading up to this one had four tonight and the last fly ball was ruled a hit, but …
The Cowboys had runners on and scoring opportunities they did not take advantage of throughout the game.
The two teams return to action Saturday at 2 p.m.