Cowboys' Skid Continues

Tuesday, April 12

Stillwater, Okla.

6:00:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

19-13

Oral Roberts

20-12

Oral Roberts

Oklahoma State

Michael Mertz

April 12, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

PHOTO GALLERY

STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State was shutout for just the second time this season as the 27^th-ranked Cowboys lost a midweek matchup with Oral Roberts, 4-0, at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium on Tuesday night.

The loss was the fourth straight for the Cowboys, who fell to 19-13 on the season, while ORU improved to 20-12.

"Sometimes when you get in a tough stretch you start trying too hard," said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. "I think that manifested itself here. No one wants to struggle and do that, but to over-try works against you, and I think we're in that mode a little bit."

ORU's Michael Hungate hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning that proved to be the only offense the Golden Eagles needed to knock off the Cowboys.

"I thought Mike (Mertz) did a good job," Holliday said. "(Hungate) did a good job of hitting a ball that was down in the zone out to straight-away center. It was a really good swing."

Outside of giving up the home run, Mertz turned in a great performance on the mound for the Cowboys, recording a career-high 10 strikeouts over six innings of work. The right-hander is the second Cowboy to record double-digit strikeouts in a game this season.

Despite allowing just three runs on four hits, Mertz took the loss, dropping his record to 1-2 for the season.

Carson Teel relieved Mertz in the seventh inning and struck out three Golden Eagles in his 1 2/3 innings of work. After issuing an eighth-inning walk, which was followed shortly by a double to right center field, Teel was replaced by Tyler Buffett.

Buffett hit the first batter he faced and then walked ORU's Rolando Martinez to put the Golden Eagles' lead at 4-0. He would get out of the inning without any further damage though as he forced Hungate to ground out to third base.

Offensively, the Cowboys struggled to get anything going as they tallied just three hits off of six ORU pitchers.

Garrett Benge and Donnie Walton combined for all three of OSU's hits, with Benge laying claim to two of those. It is the fifth multi-hit game of the season for Benge, while Walton's first inning single extended his hitting streak to five games.

The Cowboys had their chances — in the bottom of the second and third innings, OSU had a runner reach third base — but some timely pitching prevented the Cowboys from scoring either time as Jon Littell struck out to end the second and Walton popped out to second base in the third.

Dustin Williams nearly got the Cowboys on the board in the bottom of the fourth as he blasted a ball to deep left field, but it fell into Hungate's glove just short of the wall to end the inning.

In the top of the ninth, Buffett found himself in a bases loaded jam with no outs. Even with no room for error, the right-hander was cool under pressure, striking out the side to keep the ORU lead at 4-0.

Hoping to start a ninth inning rally, Williams drew a walk with two outs, but two pitches, later Littell was retired to seal the Golden Eagles' victory.

ORU's Josh McMinn earned the win as he pitched three scoreless innings in relief to improve to 3-2 this season.

The Cowboys will return to conference action this weekend as they hit the road to take on Baylor for a three-game series that begins on Friday in Waco, Texas.