Sunday College Baseball Roundup

Cowboys Win Finale, Take Series

STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State rallied late to earn its second-straight Big 12 Conference series win as the 20th-ranked Cowboys claimed an 8-3 victory in Sunday's series finale against No. 25 Texas Tech at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

The Cowboys scored all of their runs in the seventh and eighth innings, putting up four runs in each frame, to earn their 13th come-from-behind win of the season and improve to 22-10 overall and 5-4 in league play.

Texas Tech (24-11, 5-7) built a 2-0 lead through the game's first 6 1/2 innings, getting a run off OSU starter Tyler Nurdin in the first inning and another in the sixth off reliever Vince Wheeland, but the Cowboys erased that lead in the bottom of the seventh.

Tanner Krietemeier led off that pivotal inning with a single against TTU starter Chris Sadberry, one of just four hits allowed by the southpaw. Following the hit, the Red Raiders called on Ryan Moseley out of the bullpen, but he promptly walked Zach Fish on four pitches.

Up next, Ryan Sluder laid down a sacrifice bunt that Moseley fielded. However, Moseley's throw to third was wild, allowing Krietemeier to score OSU's first run.

Trailing 2-1 with runners on second and third and no outs, Holliday sent Saulyer Saxon to the plate to pinch hit, and the senior delivered with a two-RBI single that put the Cowboys on top.

Later in the inning, OSU pushed its lead to 4-2 when Tim Arakawa scored on a balk.

In the eighth, the Red Raiders answered back when Hunter Redman recorded a two-out, RBI double to pull the visitors to within 4-3. The run was the first ever allowed by freshman Blake Battenfield, who began his OSU career with 24 consecutive scoreless innings in relief.

Following the RBI double, OSU called on closer Brendan McCurry, who escaped further damage by getting Jake Barrios to fly out to end the inning.

OSU would add plenty of insurance in a wild eighth inning that saw the Cowboys score four times on just one hit. The scoring started when Saxon drew a bases loaded walk against Cameron Smith to make the score 5-3. Following the second out of the inning, Smith hit three-straight Pokes with pitches as Craig McConaughy, Green and Donnie Walton each picked up RBIs to extend the lead.

With a five-run cushion, McCurry worked a perfect ninth inning to earn his seventh save of the season. The senior righty now has 15 career saves, just two behind the OSU all-time record of 17 set by Jordy Mercer.

OSU returns to action Tuesday when the Cowboys host Arkansas-Little Rock at 6:30 p.m.

ORU's Trevino, Boss homer in loss against SHSU

TULSA, Okla. – Jose Trevino and Tyler Boss both tagged pitches for home runs on Sunday, but it wasn't enough as the Oral Roberts University baseball team dropped a Southland Conference series to Sam Houston State, 7-4.

ORU fell to 14-16 overall and 4-8 in conference play, and SHSU moved to 21-11 and 6-6 in the league.

Boss and Anthony Sequeira combined for four of the five Golden Eagle hits in the game to go with Trevino's home run.

Gavin Glanz (1-3) got the call as the starting pitcher, and looked good through five innings, striking out the side in the fifth. However, the Bearkats got to Glanz with three runs in the sixth. He finished with 5.1 innings pitched with five hits and three runs in the loss.

Glanz tied a career high with six strikeouts in the contest.

Sam Odom earned the victory for the Bearkats in seven innings of relief, allowing two runs on three hits. Dirk Masters went two innings to start the game and allowed a run in each inning.

The top of the lineup for the Bearkats had seven of SHSU's 13 hits, led by Corey Toups with three hits, an RBI and two runs scored. Ryan O'Hearn and Anthony Azar recorded a pair of hits, including a two-run home run by Azar.

The Golden Eagles continue to put a single run on the board in their half of the first inning on a shot over the left field wall by Trevino, his fifth home run of the season. It was the fourth time in six games the Golden Eagles had scored in the first inning.

After an easy top of the second by Glanz, Sequeira started the home half of the second with a double off the base of the wall, eventually scoring on a wild pitch to put ORU up 2-0 on the Bearkats.

The Bearkats broke the game open in the top of the sixth. Travis Lee started the inning with a single and moved to third on a throwing error. He quickly scored on a single by Toups to cut the ORU lead to 2-1.

Two batters later, Azar blasted a 3-0 pitch into the trees beyond the left field wall for a two-run home run, giving the Bearkats their first lead of the game, 3-2. The inning continued as Luke Plucheck singled in Carter Burgess, followed by a single by Ryan Farney to plate Dylan Ebbs to give the Bearkats a 5-2 lead after six innings.

The Bearkats added another run in the top of the seventh to make it a 6-2 game as Toups scored on a double play.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Golden Eagle offense showed signs of life as Boss took advantage of a walk by Trevino, cutting into the Bearkat lead with a two-run home run to make it 6-4.

SHSU added an insurance run in the top of the ninth to make it 7-4 as Hayden Simerly flew out to deep left with the bases loaded to score Colt Atwood from third.

ORU looks to rebound on Tuesday as the Golden Eagles travel to Norman, Okla., to take on Oklahoma at 6 p.m. They return home Wednesday for a makeup game against Wichita State, with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. at J.L. Johnson Stadium.