Cowboys Homer and Close Their Way to Get A Win Over Texas

(This story was a comibined effort of Wade McWhorter of OSU Athletic Media Relations and Pokes Report’s Robert Allen.)

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State snapped No. 3 Texas' 16-game winning streak Sunday as the 19th-ranked Cowboys posted a 7-3 victory at O'Brate Stadium.

Brett Standlee was outstanding in his first start of the season to earn the win on the mound and improve to 4-1. Previously used as the Cowboys' closer but pressed into duty due to injuries, the right-hander worked six innings and struck out a career-high 10 while allowing just two runs on three hits.

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Standlee was “clutch” on Sunday vs. Texas.

“It was one of the most clutch pitching performances that I’ve seen,” Cowboys head coach Josh Holliday said of Standlee’s outing. “He came out on a day where the ballpark was not playing to pitching and was blowing out and pitched for his team.”

Standlee, who threw 117 pitches against the Longhorns, had previously started just once in the last two seasons, that coming a year ago in a midweek game at Arizona State. He started 12 games as a freshman in 2019.

Offensively, the Cowboys used the long ball to secure the win as Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Jake Thompson and Hueston Morrill each blasted two-run home runs.

OSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against UT starter Kolby Kubichek, with Encarnacion-Strand's 15th homer of the season putting the Cowboys on top before an RBI single by Nolan McLean completed the scoring.

“Christian is a really good player and he helped us out at the start,” Holliday said. 

“It all started with Christian when he came up in the first and hit it out of the yard,” said teammate and later two-run homer hitter Jake Thompson. “He got the momentum going.”

Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Thompson’s home run went into the student section in right field.

In the second inning, it was Thompson's turn as his two-out, two-run shot to right field put the Pokes up 5-0.

Morrill capped the home run show in the fifth with a towering bomb to left field to extend the OSU lead to 7-1.

Texas threatened to rally in the sixth, loading the bases with no outs after two walks and a hit batter. But the Longhorns would only manage a sacrifice fly in the inning as Standlee picked up two huge strikeouts to get out of the jam.

“Rob (Walton) just told me that I had been in those situations before (as a closer) and I needed to do what I do and get myself out of it,” Standlee answered when asked what the Cowboys pitching coach said to him on the trip to the mound.

OSU's bullpen behind Standlee was also strong as Trevor Martin, Kale Davis and Nolan McLean each worked an inning to close out the Longhorns. UT's only run during that stretch was a solo home run in the seventh off Martin, while Davis struck out three of the four batters he faced in the eighth and McLean kept the Horns off the board in the ninth, getting a ground ball double play to end the game.

Holliday said there is no certain news on injured starting pitchers Parker Scott and Justin Wrobleski. They will continue to monitor them both and if they become ready to pitch then they will. The talk circulating the ballpark this weekend was that the injuries were significant.

The Cowboys return to action Friday when they open the Bedlam Series against Oklahoma at O'Brate Stadium. Following the opener, the series shifts to Norman, with the Sooners hosting the final two games at L. Dale Mitchell Park.