Cowboys Pound Mountaineers 21-11 to Take Series 2-1
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State won its second consecutive conference series with a 21-11 run-rule victory over West Virginia in Saturday's rubber game at O'Brate Stadium. The 11th-ranked Cowboys improved to 18-7-1 overall and 6-3 in Big 12 play as they collected 13 hits and clinched the run-rule win with a five-run eighth inning that ended on a sacrifice fly by Hueston Morrill.
Morrill was one of a number of Cowboys who had strong days at the plate as he went 3-for-4 with a career-high five RBIs. Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Carson McCusker both had four RBIs in the win, while Cade Cabbiness drove three runs.
Trailing 3-0 early, OSU took control of the contest with a 10-run outburst in the third inning as the Pokes sent 14 batters to the plate and collected five hits.
The 10-run inning marked the first time the Cowboys had scored 10 runs in an inning since 2019 when they plated 10 runs in the eighth inning against Texas on April 18.Morrill got things started in the pivotal inning with a single, and Encarnacion-Strand brought home OSU's first run when he hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. McCusker then picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly, and Justin Campbell drew a pinch hit walk to tie the score at 3-3.
Newly appointed Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum and her husband joined President Burns Hargis and the first Cowgirl to see all the Cowboys runs,
The Pokes then erupted for seven runs, all coming with two outs. A Cabbiness two-RBI single gave OSU a 5-3 lead, and Morrill followed that with a three-run home run to left field, his first round tripper of the season.
OSU scored twice more in the frame, one run coming on an error and another on an RBI single by Encarnacion-Strand, to go up 10-3.
WVU (11-11, 3-3) would not go quietly however, as they plated runs in every inning of the contest except the second.
But OSU continued its scoring onslaught as well, aided by a WVU pitching staff that issued 11 walks and hit seven Cowboys with pitches, and the Pokes were able to put the Mountaineers away in the eighth.
In the final frame, Encarnacion-Strand once again got the scoring started, this time with an RBI double, and McCusker followed with a two-run homer.Later in the inning, a Cabbiness RBI single
the score 20-11, and Morrill then stepped to the plate and delivered a fly ball to right field that
resulted in a sacrifice fly to clinch the run-rule win.OSU returns to action Friday when the Cowboys open a weekend series against Central Arkansas at O'Brate Stadium.