OSU Wraps Regular Season With Series Sweep Of KU

Oklahoma State wrapped up its regular season at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium Saturday as the 12th-ranked Cowboys knocked off Kansas, 8-1, on Senior Day to complete a three-game sweep of the Jayhawks.
 
With the win, OSU improves to 35-18 overall and 16-8 in Big 12 Conference play, while the Jayhawks finish their season at 20-35-1 and 6-17 in conference action. The Cowboys will be the No. 2 seed at next week's Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City and open play Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
 
"We had a good finish to the regular season," said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. "It wasn't dominant, but we were 5-3 over the last eight and I think our team has shown all of the markers that we deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament."
 
For the third time in the series, OSU held a lead after the first inning as Donnie Walton's one-out single into left field scored J.R. Davis to put the Cowboys on top quickly, 1-0. Walton was a force for the Cowboys throughout the series, going 5-for-12 with five RBIs in the series.
 
Following Walton's single, Conor Costello was hit by a pitch, and Dustin Williams drew a walk to load the bases with only one out. Ryan Sluder then tacked on a second run as he drew a five-pitch walk to make it 2-0 in favor of the Cowboys. OSU continued to score without having to put the ball in play as Jon Littellwas hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring home the third run of the inning.
 
The Cowboys surrendered a run in the top of the second, but Corey Hassel, in his final game at Reynolds Stadium, smoked a two-run home run over the left field wall to extend the OSU lead out to 5-1.
 
Hassel, Walton, Costello and David Petrino – four of OSU's five seniors – carried the load offensively as they combined for six of the Cowboys' nine hits. Costello was a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish, while Petrino, pinch hitting for Littell in the eighth, ripped an RBI single through the left side to put the Pokes up 6-1 in his final home at bat.  
 
With the Big 12 Championship looming, OSU used seven different pitchers to limit Kansas to just one run on one hit. Alex Hackerott, OSU's only senior pitcher, pitched 1 2/3 innings of perfect baseball, striking out a pair of Jayhawks, in his final appearance at Reynolds Stadium.
 
Garrett Williams was the Cowboy awarded the win as the left-hander gave up just one hit and struck out seven over three innings of work to pick up his second win of the year and improve to 2-0.
 
"The highlight for me was the way Garrett (Williams) threw," Holliday said. "That's consecutive outings now that he's been successful. And what a weapon to have, knowing that he's in a good frame of mind and in a good place with his mechanics and his gamesmanship on the field. He looked excellent."