OSU Ends Regular Season With Loss to Texas Tech

The Cowboys lost four of their final five conference games to drop into fourth place in the Big 12.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:25 pm

By: News On 6

OSU Ends Regular Season With Loss to Texas Tech

Originally Published: May 22, 2011 4:57 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Oklahoma State baseball team finished the regular season with a 5-3 loss to Texas Tech Sunday.

The Red Raiders were carried by one big at-bat early in the game. Bo Altobelli stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning, and he launched the second pitch of the at-bat over the left field wall for a grand slam and a sudden 4-0 lead.

Texas Tech managed just three more hits and one run for the rest of the day, but that was all it needed. It carried a 5-0 lead into the eighth inning, when the Oklahoma State offense finally came alive.

Mark Ginther led off the eighth with a home run to put OSU on the board, and the next three batters all reached to load the bases with nobody out. The Cowboys suddenly had a chance to completely eliminate their deficit, but could not capitalize.

Zach Johnson grounded into a double play on the first pitch of the next at-bat, which scored a second run but also essentially killed the Cowboys’ potential rally. Jared Womack followed with ground out to end the threat and keep the score 5-2.

OSU had another promising start in the ninth inning, this time thanks to pitches that hit the first two batters of the frame. That brought Gabe Weidenaar to the plate as the potential tying run, but the Cowboys again could not take advantage.

Weidenaar grounded into a double play that advanced the lead runner to third, but also brought OSU one out away from defeat. Ginther came through with a single in the next at-bat for his second RBI of the game, but Luis Uribe flew out to end the game.

The loss brought the regular season to an end for the Cowboys, and they struggled down the stretch. OSU lost five of its last six games, and four of those losses came in conference play. That dropped OSU into the No. 4 spot in the Big 12 standings.

The Cowboys will return to action in the Big 12 Championship, which begins Wednesday. The matchups and game times have not yet been announced.