Cowboys Come Up Short In Series Opener

Friday, March 10

Stillwater, OK

4:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

7-6

South Dakota State

6-5

South Dakota State

Oklahoma State

Tyler Buffett

March 10, 2017 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

PHOTO GALLERY

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State could not get its bats going Friday at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium as the 18^th-ranked Cowboys dropped a 2-1 decision in the series opener against South Dakota State.

The Cowboys were held to only three hits and left nine runners stranded on base as they fell to 7-6 on the season, while the visitors used four different pitchers en route to improving to 6-5.

Tyler Buffett was the tough-luck loser on the mound as the senior right-hander worked 6 1/3 innings and tied a career high with seven strikeouts. He allowed just two runs – only one of them earned – on six hits and walked one.

The Jackrabbits took the first lead of the game with an unearned run in the third. With one out, Phil Velez picked up an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error. After another throwing error with two outs put SDSU runners on the corners, an RBI single by Luke Ringhofer put the visitors up, 1-0.

OSU plated its lone run of the game in the fourth to tie the score at 1-1. Garrett Benge walked to lead off the inning, and Colin Simpson followed with a single. After Jon Littell laid down a bunt to move two runners into scoring position, Dustin Williams collected an RBI groundout to bring home the tying run.

But the Jacks answered with the decisive run in their next at bat. Nick Smith singled and stole second with one out before advancing to third on a groundout. He then raced home on a wild pitch to give SDSU a 2-1 advantage.

The Cowboy bullpen duo of Cole Hearrean and Jake Cowan kept SDSU off the scoreboard over the final 2 2/3 frames, but OSU could not produce any runs.

In both the seventh and eighth innings, OSU put runners on first and second with no outs and failed to score, and in the ninth, Andrew Rosa led off with a single but was stranded at first base.

Brady Stover picked up the win for SDSU after striking out six in five innings of work, while Chris Halbur allowed just one hit over the final two innings for his third save.

The two teams are scheduled to return to action Saturday at 2 p.m.