Cowboy Baseball Wins Bedlam Series

Saturday, April 28

Tulsa, OK

7:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

26-14-1, 0

Oklahoma

28-17, 0

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

April 28, 2018 | Cowboy Baseball

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TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State continued to cement its status atop the Big 12 standings as the 17^th-ranked Cowboys claimed a Bedlam Series win over No. 18 Oklahoma with a 10-1 victory Saturday night at ONEOK Field.

The conference series win was OSU's fifth in a row as the Cowboys improved to 14-3 in Big 12 play and 26-14-1 overall. The Pokes have now won five conference series against their Bedlam rival in six seasons under head coach Josh Holliday, who is now 19-6 against the Sooners in his career.

OSU plated six runs in its first two at bats Saturday, and five different Cowboys drove in runs in the contest. Jon Littell and Carson McCusker collected three RBIs apiece, while Christian Funk was 4-for-5 at the plate and Matt Kroon had three hits.

Joe Lienhard recorded the win on the mound to improve to 5-1, which includes a 4-0 mark in Big 12 play. The junior right-hander tossed six innings and allowed just one run on three hits while striking out seven, one shy of his career high.

Kroon got things going for OSU in the first with a single, and after a double by Colin Simpson, Littell's RBI single put the Pokes up 1-0. A two-out rally then extended the Cowboys' lead as Funk drove in the second run with a single before Trevor Boone delivered a triple into the right-center field gap to make it 3-0.

OSU doubled its run total in the second inning. After drawing a leadoff walk, McCusker stole second and advanced to third on a Ryan Cash single. Up next, Kroon plated the Cowboys' fourth run with a bloop single, and two batters later, Littell ripped a two-out, two-RBI single up the middle to extend the lead to 6-0.

Lienhard did not allow a hit until a leadoff single to left field by Kyle Mendenhall in the fifth; Littell gunned down Mendenhall at second on the play as he tried to stretch the hit into a double.

OSU put the game away with a four-run rally in the seventh. After loading the bases with no outs, Boone sent a high fly ball to deep left field that was caught at the wall for a sacrifice fly to give the Pokes a 7-1 lead.

McCusker would make sure no one got a glove on the ball in his next at bat as he crushed a three-run bomb to left. The sophomore's fifth homer of the season, all of which have come in Big 12 play, provided the final 10-1 margin.

Sunday's series finale is scheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch in Tulsa as the Cowboys go for their fourth Big 12 series sweep of the season.