Terribly Rough Night at DBU, Cowboys Need to Get Home
The Tuesday night visit to midweek rival Dallas Baptist was set to be the end of a long eight-game start to the season, all on the road and all in Texas. The hope was to get a win and head home with some momentum. Instead the Cowboys suffered a meltdown that was culminated by an eight-run fourth inning for Dallas Baptist that was fueled by the Patriots’ bats but also contributed to by four Oklahoma State errors including an amazing three errors in the inning by one of the Cowboys standout players in right fielder Carson Benge. That inning led to the 14-4 final score that mercifully ended with the run rule in the seventh inning. No. 23 Dallas Baptist stayed unbeaten at 8-0, while the Cowbpoys fell back to .500 at 4-4.
The big momentum buidling inning for DBU came right after the Cowboys had scored three runs in the top of the fourth to close the lead to 4-3. Ryan Bogusz was pitching for the Pokes and he had settled down after allowing the four early runs that started with Miguel Santos two-run homer in the first that just cleared the right-center field wall and may have been helped by the strong wind blowing straight out to center field.
The fourth inning started with shortstop Luke Heefner driving a single up the middle. Heefner would finish the night, five-for-five even in the shortened game. Bogusz hit the next hitter third baseman Matt Dattalo in the left shoulder. Freshman Ben Tryon singled to right field and with a throwing error on Benge back to the infield, Heefner scored and Dattalo ended at third and Tryon on second. DBU led 5-3.
The next hitter Alex Pendergast drove a single just to the inside of third baseman Tyler Wulfurt, Dattalo scored and Tryon went to third. Santos hit a sacrifice fly to left field and that scored Tryon to make the score 7-3. Centerfielder Nate Humphreys crushed a pitch to the wall in center field and with a throwing error by shortstop Lane Forsythe Pendergrast scored and Humphreys went to third base. Grant Jay waled and by now and transfer Tommy Molsky from Penn State was on the mound.
Nothing changed as Ethan Mann launched what looked like a sacrifice fly to right field and Benge and Zach Ehrhard in center field converged on it, Benge took it and whiffed. After a review it was ruled a sacrifince and Benge was given an error. Another run scored to make it 9-3.
Heefner came in and had an RBI double to the wall in right and while Mann scored the Cowboys went Benge to Addison Smith to Ian Daugherty at catcher to get the out at the plate on Krauss.
The inning ended with Dallas Baptist 12-3. Dallas Baptist scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Oklahoma State scored another run in the top of the sixth when catcher Ian Daugherty hit his first home run of the season to dead center field.
Nick Wilson (2-0) got the win as the starter for Dallas Baptist and he had five strike outs in his three innings of work. Bogusz (0-1) got the loss for the Cowboys.
Adding to the misery was another injury for the Cowboys. They have already seen catcher Beau Sylverster suffer a knee injury with a collision at first on Friday with Michigan’s first baseman. Second baseman Aidan Meola was two-for-two in the game with Oregon State on Sunday when he pulled up running to first base. His injury said to be a slight hamstring injury. Over the weekend freshman designated hitter Donovan LaSalle had a hand injury. That hand was heavily wrapped in the dugout on Tuesday.
Making it worse was Nolan Schubart in the second inning fouling off a ball into his groin area. he stayed in the game, dropped a line drive ball in left field later, and was taken out of the game.
Oklahoma State comes home to hope to change their fortunes on Friday for the first of a four game series with Central Michigan. It is the start of a nine game homestand with first pitch at 4 p.m.