STILLWATER – Oklahoma State thought they were going to cruise in with a win after taking the lead in the seventh inning 2-1. Then the Redbirds got it to even at 2-2 in the top of the ninth, but the Cowboys still stayed unbeaten in their new home. Illinois State had their fireballer Derek Salata on the hill in the bottom of the ninth when Justin Campbell came on as a pinch-hitter and he delivered a single into right-center that slowed down on the green carpet in the outfield enough for speedy freshman Dom Johnson to go from first to home for the walk-off winning run. Oklahoma State goes to 4-0 with a 3-2 win over the Redbirds in game one of the three game weekend set.
Johnson had drawn a one-out walk off a full count to put a major threat at first and Campbell after falling behind 0-2 worked back to 2-2 before getting a good pitch to hit.
“Foot speed on the bases and you have a chance to get that run in and you’re trying not to let that thing (game) run on all night on you,” head coach Josh Holliday said of the situation. “We had the right guy on the bases to move and we had a pinch hitter that is one of our better hitters that wasn’t in the line up to begin with. He just flicked his hands and got them running away from their arm. You get Dom running on the pitch and he is awful fast.”
“My first thought was I needed to get the ball up the middle or in the gap because Dom’s speed around the bases is really fast,” Campbell said of his pinch-hit game winner. “I got the pitch I got and put the ball in play with two strikes and that’s all there is to it.”
In the top of the inning Illinois State tied the game off Cowboys closer Brett Standlee, the first time the Jenks product had shown any vulnerability. Gunner Peterson led the inning off with a blast to right-center that almost gave the Redbirds the lead there as it hit off the top of the wall and Peterson strolled into second with a stand up double. Standlee got a couple of outs but catcher Hayden Jones punched a single up the middle for the RBI as Peterson scored to tie the game at 2-2.
Expected regular weekend Friday starter Justin Wrobleski got the start and the left-hander out of Canton, Ga. by way of State College of Florida and Clemson threw five innings. The 6-1, 194-pounder allowed just one run.
In the top of the third Illinois State sophomore first baseman Jake McCaw greeted a Wrobleski cutter with a swing that sent it over the wall in left-center field for a solo home run. The Redbirds led 1-0.
Wrobleski gave up five hits, walked three, and struck out three. He got some quality defensive help. Later in the third with runners on first and second and two outs Aidan Huggins hit a blooper out to short right field that Cade Cabbiness came in sliding and grabbed on the shoe tops off the grass for an out.
In the top of the fourth, with Joe Butler on second, the Redbirds’ Nick Gile singled to right field and Cabbiness unloaded with a great throw to catcher Brock Mathis who got the tag at home on Butler for the out.
Oklahoma State tied the score in the bottom of the fourth off Illinois State left-handed starter Colton Johnson, a quality pitcher. Nolan McLean doubled to left-center with a solid poke and then the freshman designated hitter scored when Alix Garcia hit a bloop single to right field, short and just off the line for the RBI.
Freshman Cowboy pitcher Trevor Martin from Asher, Okla., pitched well in the sixth when he came on but in the seventh, he walked the bases loaded with two outs before he struck out Joe Butler to kill the rally for the Redbirds.
In the bottom of the seventh inning the Cowboys started by getting on with an error and then collected a walk before Illinois State took out starter Colton Johnson for Jared Hart, lefty to lefty. Hart came on and walked the first hitter he faced in Jake Thompson to load the bases and then walked second baseman Matt Golda for an RBI walk and a 2-1 lead.
After the Cowboys took the lead Zach Cable came on and struck out two Redbirds in the eighth inning and despite issuing a walk, preserved the lead. However, things got crazy in both the top and bottom on the ninth inning.
Oklahoma State and Illinois State will be back at it at 4 p.m. in shiny and still very new O’Brate Stadium. The Cowboys are expected to start Parker Scott (1-0 with a 1.80 ERA) on the mound.
