Oklahoma State Opens Big 12 Tournament With 4-3 Win Over Baylor

ARLINGTON, Texas – Oklahoma State began defense of its Big 12 tourney title with a 4-3 win over Baylor in the opening round of the Big 12 Baseball Championship Wednesday at Globe Life Field.

With the win, the seventh-seeded Cowboys improved to 28-22 and moved into the quarterfinals to take on No. 2 seed Kansas Thursday at 4 p.m.

Mario Pesca was outstanding in relief of starter Sean Youngerman to earn the win out of the bullpen. The right-hander tossed 3 2/3 shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out a pair, to improve to 7-2 on the season.

Youngerman worked 4 1/3 innings, striking out five and allowing three runs, just one of those earned.

Gabe Davis retired all three batters he faced in the ninth for his third save of the season.

Offensively, the Cowboys had just five hits, with Kollin Ritchie and Colin Brueggemann picking up RBIs.

OSU jumped on top in the second when Ritchie deposited his 10th home run of the season into the seats in right-center field.

However, the Bears would take advantage of a throwing error in the third to plate a pair of runs and take a 2-1 lead.

BU added to its lead in the fifth, going up 3-1 on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Tyriq Kemp.

OSU trimmed its deficit in the sixth. Brayden Smith and Ian Daugherty led off the frame with singles before a deep fly out to center field by Nolan Schubart advanced both runners into scoring position. Brueggemann then picked up an RBI on a sac fly line out to left field to make the score 3-2.

The Cowboys would then take advantage of a BU error as, with two outs, third baseman Pearson Riebock uncorked a wild throw to first that allowed the tying run to score from second base.

With the game tied 3-3 in the seventh, another error proved pivotal. With Cowboys on first and second and two outs, Daugherty grounded a ball at Kemp, BU's shortstop, who misplayed the ball. The miscue allowed the go-ahead run to score as OSU went back on top, 4-3.

Pesca kept the Bears off the scoreboard in the eighth, stranding the tying run at first with an inning-ending striking, before Davis came out of the pen and shut the door in the ninth.