Oklahoma State Blasts to Run-Rule Win to Even the Arizona Series, Senior Day Saturday
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State cruised to a 13-1 run-rule win over Arizona in seven innings Friday night at O'Brate Stadium as the 21st-ranked Cowboys evened the series with the Wildcats.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 35-19 overall and 17-12 in Big 12 play, while UA fell to 19-33 and 9-20 in the league. Saturday's rubber game and regular season finale is set for a 12 p.m. start.
OSU exploded for 13 runs on a season-high 17 hits, with Cowboys going yard and five Pokes achieving multi-hit games. Alex Conover, Colin Brueggemann and Garrett Shull each accomplished both, as the group combined for eight hits and three home runs.
Ethan Lund went all seven innings, striking out 13 while allowing only two hits. The effort gave Lund the first complete game of his career and pushed the southpaw to 5-1 on the season.
After Lund struck out two in a scoreless first inning, the Cowboy offense erupted for five runs in the bottom half. Conover opened the scoring with a leadoff home run to the opposite field before Brueggemann delivered the second big swing of the inning, launching a three-run homer to extend the lead to 4-0. Brueggemann's blast plated Kollin Ritchie, who reached on a walk, and Campbell Smithwick, who knocked a two-out single. Avery Ortiz scored the final run of the frame, racing home from second on an error by the Wildcats.
Brueggemann's home run was his 15th of the season and saw him reach a milestone as he became the 11th player in program history to reach 50 home runs in a career.
Arizona got on the board in the second on a two-out home run from Carson McEntire, but Ritchie got the run right back for the Cowboys, hitting his 29th home run of the season to make the score 6-1. Brueggemann then collected his second RBI hit in as many innings, plating Aidan Meola, and Remo Indomenico brought in OSU's eighth run with a bases-loaded walk.
Lund made quick work of the third and fourth innings, striking out three of the seven hitters he faced, and the Pokes put up their second five-spot in the fourth inning to make it a 13-1 contest.
In that inning, Smithwick smacked his third hit of the game and was brought home on Brueggemann's third RBI hit of the game. Shull then detonated on a home run that banged off the scoreboard for his 14th of the season. After Indomenico tripled and Conover was hit by a pitch, Brock Thompson and Meola both had RBI knocks.
Lund ended the night by striking out three in the seventh inning to secure the run-rule win. He now has 119 strikeouts on the season, the 13th-highest season total in program history.
