Saturday College Baseball Roundup

Cowboys Even Series With Texas

AUSTIN, Texas – Oklahoma State earned another comeback win and evened its series with 10th-ranked Texas as the Cowboys picked up a 2-1 victory at UFCU Disch-Falk Field Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the No. 9 Cowboys improved to 30-13 overall and maintained their spot atop the Big 12 Conference standings at 12-5. OSU now has 18 come-from-behind wins this season and is 9-0 in one-run games.

A two-out rally in the sixth inning propelled OSU to victory Saturday. Craig McConaughy got things going with the first of three-straight singles by the Cowboys, with Donnie Walton's RBI hit bringing home what proved to be the winning run.

Alex Hackerott earned the win in relief to improve to 2-1, while Brendan McCurry added to his record saves total with his 12th of the season.

After OSU managed just two hits in Friday night's loss, the Cowboys turned the tables on UT with four different pitchers allowing just two hits - both singles - by the Longhorns.

Texas (32-12, 10-7) took the game's initial lead in the second inning despite not recording a hit. After OSU starter Tyler Buffett issued back-to-back walks then uncorked a wild pitch, the Horns had runners on second and third with one out. Zane Gurwitz then brought home a run with an RBI groundout before Buffett retired Kacy Clemens to escape further damage.

Despite getting the leadoff man on base in each of the first four innings, the Cowboys failed to score in each of those frames. However, that changed in the fifth.

Craig McConaughy, who was one of three Cowboys with two hits on the day, led off the inning with a double to left field. After Gage Green was hit by a pitch, Walton laid down a sacrifice bunt, and UT pitcher Dillon Peters threw wildly to first base. The error allowed McConaughy to plate the tying run, making the score 1-1.

The bottom of the fifth also proved to be pivotal. UT loaded the bases with two outs against Buffett on two walks and a single, and the Cowboys called on Hackerott to get out of the jam.

And the southpaw did just that, getting Texas' top hitter, Mark Payton, to ground out to shortstop.

"That was the biggest out of the game other than the last one," Holliday said. "Payton is one heck of a baseball player and a fantastic competitor."

The Cowboys rode that momentum into the sixth inning and would capitalize on it when Walton delivered his opposite-field RBI single off UT reliever Morgan Cooper to put OSU on top.

"That was a huge clutch hit after it really felt like there was a lid on that thing," said Holliday, whose ballclub left 11 runners on base in the game.

With the Cowboys up 2-1, Blake Battenfield kept Texas at bay with two scoreless innings before yielding to McCurry with two outs and the tying run on second in the bottom of the eighth.

McCurry came in and promptly struck out Collin Shaw, then pitched around a two-out walk in the ninth to seal the OSU win.

The two teams will square off in Sunday's rubber game with OSU looking to notch its fifth-straight Big 12 series win. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.

Fifth Inning Woes Doom Sooners

LUBBOCK, Texas – The first four innings flew by with the University of Oklahoma baseball team in front, but a 10-run fifth spoiled the afternoon as the Sooners fell to No. 21 Texas Tech at Rip Griffin Park, 14-4. The loss was the fourth in a row for Oklahoma as it dropped to 25-19 overall and 5-9 in the Big 12. The Red Raiders lifted their record to 34-13 and 10-7.

Triples were the Sooners weapon of choice early on. Sophomore designated hitter Kolbey Carpenter hit a lead-off triple in the second and scored on a base hit through the left side by senior second baseman Hector Lorenzana. In the fifth, sophomore left fielder Hunter Haley went against an outfield shift to triple into the right field corner. He came in on a base hit by Carpenter.

Sophomore left-hander Jacob Evans cruised through the first four innings, facing just one over the minimum. However, the game got away from Oklahoma in the bottom of the fifth. Texas Tech loaded the bases with no outs on three straight singles, including two on the infield. Shortstop Tim Proudfoot tied the game with a double to right field and the Red Raiders gained the lead on a bases loaded-single up the middle by second baseman Bryan Burleson.

Evans exited the game down 4-2 and with two outs. Texas Tech pounded the ball off redshirt-senior right-handed reliever Drew Krittenbrink for five straight hits, including a three-run home run by first baseman Eric Gutierrez that pushed the lead to 7-2. In a 49-minute inning, the Red Raiders sent 17 batters to the plate and scored 10 runs on 10 hits.

Evans (3-3) was touched up for six run on seven hits and a walk, while striking out three. Krittenbrink faced seven hitters without recording an out.

Left-hander Chris Sadberry (4-1) went 7.1 innings in the win. He allowed four runs on nine hits and three walks to go with four strikeouts.

For the Sooners, Carpenter and Lorenzana each recorded two-hit days; each going 2-for-3.

The series finale is at 2:00 pm Sunday afternoon. Sophomore right-hander Ralph Garza Jr. is expected to make the first start of his career.

ORU Offense Struggles In Loss At Corpus Christi

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Lack of timely hitting doomed the Oral Roberts University baseball team on Saturday as the Golden Eagles lost game two of a three-game set to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on the road 4-1.

ORU fell to 22-20 overall and 9-11 in the Southland Conference, and the Islanders improved to 25-19 and 14-6. The Golden Eagles are a half game out of the eighth spot in the conference standings, while the Islanders are tied with Nicholls for the top spot following league play on Saturday.

Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles outhit the Islanders 8-6, with Logan Domenico and Austen Colt recording a pair of singles. ORU has not had an extra-base hit in either game in the series.

Gavin Glanz (2-4) got the start on the mound as he went 6.2 innings, allowing just four hits and struck out a career high seven strikeouts in the loss. Jacob McDavid allowed a run and two hits in 1.1 innings of work.

Brandon Tierney continues to hit Golden Eagle pitching with two singles in the game for the Islanders, while Tyler Ware hit his third home run in the sixth inning. Trevor Belicek (3-5) earned the win in six innings of work, while Jacob Dorris struck out seven ORU batters in just three innings for the save.

It was a pitcher's duel between Glanz and Belicek through the first five innings as each squad had just two hits entering the sixth. The Golden Eagles got on the board first in the top of the sixth as Anthony Sequeira drove the ball back up the middle to bring home Jose Trevino from second to go up 1-0.

The Islanders answered in the bottom of the inning. Tierney started the Islander sixth with a bloop single to center, setting up a wind-blown two-run home by Ware to take a 2-1 lead for the home team. However, Glanz settled down, striking out the next three batters to get out of the inning.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI triple by Jordan Lee into the right field corner that scored Josh Garza. Lee quickly scored as Tierney singled to make it a 4-1 games.

The Golden Eagles stranded 11 runners on base in the contest, including leaving the bases loaded in the top of the seventh. All three runners in the seventh reached with no outs.

ORU will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday afternoon as they square off with the Islanders in game three. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.