Cowboys Top No. 3 Nebraska In Series Opener

STILLWATER, Okla. - Matt Gardner hurled a complete game, and Oklahoma State scored three runs in its final two at bats to earn a 5-4 win over No. 3 Nebraska on Saturday at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

Gardner, a sophomore right hander from Andrews, Texas, improved to 4-3 with the first complete game of his OSU career. He struck out three, scattered eights hits and did not walk a batter.

The win extended OSU's season-long winning streak to 10 games as the Cowboys improved to 32-13 overall and 11-8 in Big 12 Conference play. The loss snapped Nebraska's five-game winning streak as the Big 12-leading Cornhuskers dropped to 36-7 overall and 15-4 in the league.

The Cowboys took an early 1-0 lead in their first at bat. Corey Brown led off with a single and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Keanon Simon. Tyler Mach then delivered an RBI single to center field, a hit that extended the Cowboy third baseman's hitting streak to 16 games.

Nebraska used small ball to take the lead with three runs in the top of the second. Luke Gorsett was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and Andy Gerch brought him home with a double to tie the score. The Cornhuskers final two runs in the inning came on RBI sacrifice bunts by Jeff Christy and Jake Mort.

The Cornhuskers increased their lead to 4-2 in the fourth as a Jake Opitz single plated Gerch from second.

OSU answered that run in the bottom half of the inning when Jordy Mercer reached on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded.

Nebraska and starting pitcher Joba Chamberlain maintained that two-run advantage until the seventh when the Cowboys tied the score. Matt Clarkson led off the frame with a triple and scored on a double down the right-field line by Simon. After advancing to third on a groundout, Simon scored the tying run on an 0-2 wild pitch by Chamberlain.

The game-winning run for the Cowboys came in the eighth. With one out, Adam Carr tripled off the center-field wall, and Shelby Ford delivered a single up the middle against NU reliever Erik Bird to give OSU a 5-4 lead.

Gardner retired the Cornhuskers in order in the ninth to earn his third win in conference play.

Every player in the OSU lineup finished with a hit, with Simon's 2-for-3 day leading the way.

The second game of the series is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. on Sunday, with Monday's finale set for 6:30 p.m.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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