Oklahoma State Loses Series Opener with Texas

(Pokes Report publisher Robert Allen contributed to this story written by Oklahoma State University athletic media relations.)

STILLWATER – A very good college baseball game between two nationally-ranked teams battling for first-place in the Big 12 Conference standings came down to this in game one of the three game series. Both teams hit two home runs, but Texas hit theirs with a runner on base and the Cowboys hit theirs with the bases empty. Texas won the quickly played game in windy conditions 5-3. By all rights with the wind blowing out the expectation was more scoring, but both sides got some solid pitching and Texas won notched their 16^th win in a row to raise their overall record to 20-7 and stayed unbeaten in Big 12 play at 4-0. Oklahoma State fell to 20-7 overall and 4-3 in Big 12 play.

Tyler Wulfert and Nolan McLean powered the Cowboys' offense, each hitting solo home runs, while Carson Benge added two doubles and a single in four at-bats.

Ben Abram started on the mound, working 5 1/3 innings and striking out four while allowing five runs. He fell to 4-1 on the season, with the loss snapping his streak of winning four consecutive starts.

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Blake pitching against Texas held the Horns scoreless.

Drew Blake replaced Abram and shut down the Longhorns, working two shutout innings without allowing a hit.

Isaac Stebens entered in the top of the eighth and worked a crucial 1 2/3 scoreless frames, striking out three, to keep the Cowboys within striking distance.

OSU gave itself a chance in the bottom of the ninth, putting the first two runners on base after a Benge double and a walk to pinch hitter Colin Brueggemann, but the Cowboys couldn't capitalize.

The Cowboys struck first in the game on a fielder's choice RBI single from Marcus Brown in the second inning, but the Longhorns quickly responded with a two-run homer and RBI single in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead.

Texas added two more runs in the fourth on another two-run blast, this one from Jalin Flores that put UT up 5-1, but McLean's eighth round tripper of the season, a solo shot, brought the Cowboys back to within three runs.

Wulfert's solo homer, his fourth of the season, tacked on another Cowboy run in the sixth inning to cut the Longhorns' lead to 5-3.

A pair of Cowboys reached base with two outs in the seventh, but a foul out to the catcher stranded both runners.

The two teams return to action Saturday at 6 p.m. before Sunday's series finale at 1 p.m.