Baseball Falls Short at Oklahoma State

STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State broke open a tight 6-5 game with three runs in the seventh inning and managed to hold on late as the 15^th-ranked Cowboys clinched the series with Kansas State after a 9-6 win Monday at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

With the loss, K-State moved to 23-13 overall and 5-7 in Big 12 play, while Oklahoma State improved to 27-9 overall and 8-4 in league play.

Oklahoma State reliever Justin Friend (4-2) was extremely effective on Monday, going 5.1 innings and scattering three hits and one run. In fact, Friend gave up an RBI-single to Drew Biery in his first action of the day and did not surrender another hit until Biery’s solo homer in the ninth.

K-State starter Ben Hornbeck (2-1) suffered the loss after giving up six runs on five hits over 3.1 innings with four walks and one strikeout.

With the game at 6-5 in favor of Oklahoma State, the Cowboys pushed across three runs in the seventh all coming by way of the home run as a solo shot from Andrew Brown and a two-run blast from Jordy Mercer upped the lead to 9-5.

K-State battled back in the ninth as Biery lifted a solo homer off Friend and Nate Tenbrink tripled off the wall in left. But, Eli Rumler flied out to right to end the game.

Oklahoma State struck first in the bottom of the first inning as a two-run double by Tyler Mach gave the Cowboys a 2- lead. K-State answered with one in the second to cut the lead in half as Rob Vaughn’s sacrifice fly scored Rumler, who was hit by a pitch and moved to third on a single and a sacrifice bunt.

The Cowboys upped the lead to 3-1 in the second with an unearned run off Hornbeck and Rebel Ridling’s solo homer in the third gave Oklahoma State a 4-1 advantage.

K-State then sent nine men to the plate in the fourth, scoring four runs all with two outs to take a 5-4 lead. Tenbrink led off with a single and after a Tyler Ruch single with one out, the Cats got four straight two-out singles from Vaughn, Adam Muenster, Derek Bunker and Biery to take the one-run lead.

Tyler Mach’s one-out single in the bottom of the fourth scored two runs after K-State pitchers had walked the bases loaded to give the Cowboys a 6-5 advantage.

The Cats out-hit the Cowboys in all three games, including holding a 10-8 advantage on Monday, and Muenster, Biery, Tenbrink and Ruch all had two hits each on Monday.

Kansas State returns to action Wednesday as it hosts Central Christian at Tointon Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.

– k-statesports.com –