OSU Suffers Another Walk-Off Loss In Game 2 vs. UNC

For the third-straight game, Oklahoma State was the victim of a walk-off hit as 10th-ranked North Carolina topped the No. 11 Cowboys, 7-6, in 10 innings Saturday at Boshamer Stadium.
 
With the win, the Tar Heels clinched the series and improved to 4-1 on the year, while OSU fell to 2-4 with the loss. Each of the Cowboys' losses this season has come by one run.
 
Brian Miller was the UNC hero Saturday. After the Tar Heels loaded the bases with one out against Trey Cobb following a pair of walks and an infield single, Miller chopped a single over a drawn-in OSU infield to bring home the winning run.
 
Offensively, Dustin Williams led the Cowboys with a career day at the plate as he went 2-for-3 with a home run and tied a career high with five RBIs. Donnie Walton also had two hits on the day.
 
Cobb was one of five OSU pitchers on the day and fell to 0-2 on the season after allowing a run on two hits and three walks in an inning of work.
 
OSU jumped on the Tar Heels early. Corey Hassel led off the game with a single, and back-to-back walks to Ryan Sluder and Walton loaded the bases with no outs. Strikeouts by Garrett Benge and Colin Simpson followed, but Williams came up clutch as he stepped to the plate and blasted the first pitch he saw over the wall in right field. The grand slam was Williams' second homer of the season and put the Cowboys up 4-0.
 
North Carolina would answer in the bottom of the first against Michael Mertz, who made his first-career start for the Cowboys. Struggling with his command, the OSU right-hander issued three walks and two singles to the first five UNC hitters as the Tar Heels trimmed their deficit to 4-2.
 
But Mertz escaped further damage by striking out Ryder Ryan, then getting Adam Pate to ground into an inning-ending double play to end the inning.
 
The Cowboys added to their lead in the third, once again compliments of Williams. Benge got things started with a one-out double, and Simpson followed with a single. Up next, Williams collected OSU's third-straight hit with an RBI single to give the Pokes a 5-2 advantage.
 
UNC rallied to tie the score in the bottom of the inning, however. After a single and a walk ended Mertz' day on the mound, Blake Battenfield came out of the bullpen and issued a free pass to load the bases with no outs. A 1-2-3 double play had OSU poised to get out of the inning, but Battenfield gave up a two-RBI single to Cody Roberts before an error by Walton at shortstop allowed the tying run to score.
 
The Tar Heels would take their first lead of the day in the fifth as they tallied another unearned run, this time on a throwing error by Simpson on a stolen base attempt, to go up by a 6-5 count.
 
OSU trailed until the eighth. Walton led off the frame with a single and following a two-out walk to Williams, Conor Costello deliveredwith a clutch opposite-field single to right to bring home Walton and tie the game at 6-6.
 
Costello came up in another big situation in the 10th as the Cowboys had runners on the corners with two outs, but UNC closer Cole Aker struck the OSU DH out to end the threat.
 
The two teams will conclude the season Sunday at 11 a.m. (CST).