Oklahoma State Splits Doubleheader with Mercer with a Weird Call in the Loss
(This story originated with Oklahoma State University Athletic Media Relations and was written by Wade McWhorter and was added to by Pokes Report publisher Robert Allen.)
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State split a doubleheader against Mercer Saturday at O’Brate Stadium, winning the opener, 4-2, before dropping the nightcap by a 4-1 count. With the split, OSU moved to 9-6 while Mercer is 10-5. The two teams will play the rubber game of the series Sunday at noon.
OSU took game one thanks to a strong start from Sam Garcia, who went six innings and struck out nine, both career highs as a Cowboy. The southpaw only allowed one run on three hits and did not issue a walk as he improved to 2-1. He was in solid control mixing up a fastball in the low 90s with an excellent slider and change-up.
Gabe Davis kept the Bears off the scoreboard over the final two innings, picking up a pair of strikeouts along the way, to earn his second save.
Lane Forsythe led the Cowboys at the plate in the opener as the senior went 2-for-2 with a home run and a pair of RBIs. Zach Ehrhard also had two hits and drove in a run.
Forsythe delivered his first home run of the season into the bullpen in right field in the third inning to put OSU up 1-0. It was a laser beam that stayed below the wind blowing in and got out of the park in a hurry.
Mercer’s Jackson Cherry tied the game with a solo shot of his own in the fifth, but the Cowboys would reclaim the lead for good with RBI hits from Ehrhard and Avery Ortiz in the bottom of the inning.
OSU added an insurance run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Forsythe before the Bears plated their final run of the game and cut their deficit in half in the seventh.
In Saturday’s second game, Brian Holiday took the loss to fall to 1-1 as the right-hander tossed 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and striking out seven. Brennan Phillips took over for the final 2 2/3 innings and kept the Bears scoreless while not allowing a hit.
Mercer got on the board first as Alex Ramirez launched a solo homer in the third, and the fifth inning would see the Bears extend their lead as a balk with the bases loaded scored a run before a two-RBI single from Cherry made the score 4-0. The balk was called by the third base umpire, Shane Metheny, who said Holiday switched from the stretch back to the wind up when the bases were loaded without telling the umpire. Believe it or not, that is a rule. The ensuing argument cost the Cowboys pitching coach Rob Walton the rest of the game as he was thrown out by Metheny. It was a confusing call as the umpires never made it clear. The call came after a hit that went down the line and was fielded by the Cowboys at third and it appeared they got a force out to end the inning.
The Oklahoma State offense couldn’t find its footing early as the Pokes stranded five in just as many innings.
OSU tallied its lone run of the contest when Ortiz launched an opposite field home run in the sixth inning, his third round tripper of the season.