Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Drop Opener To Texas, 3-2
April 29, 2007 | Cowboy Baseball
STILLWATER, Okla. — Texas' Nick Peoples scored on a balk in the top of the seventh inning to give Texas a 3-2 win over Oklahoma State in front of a season-best crowd 3,295 fans Friday night at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
In a classic pitcher's duel between the top two teams in the Big 12 Conference, a game in which each team collected just six hits, the 12th-ranked Cowboys dropped to 31-11 overall and 10-6 in league play.
OSU scored both of its runs in the fourth inning against UT starter James Russell.
After Tyler Mach was hit by a pitch and Matt Mangini walked, Russell balked to move the Cowboys to second and third. Rebel Ridling then delivered a sacrifice fly for OSU's first run, and Jordy Mercer followed with an RBI single to make the score 2-0.
The first came in the fifth off the bat of Russell Moldenhauer, and a shot over the right-field wall by Chance Wheeless in the sixth tied the score.
Breedlove got into trouble in the seventh. With one out, Nick Peoples tripled into the right-center field gap, and after an intentional walk, the Cowboys called on Justin Friend out of the bullpen.
Friend was called for a balk with Chris Fuller at the plate, allowing Peoples to score what would prove to be the winning run.
Breedlove fell to 0-3 on the season despite a career-best effort by the right hander. In just his third start of the season, the sophomore worked 6.1 innings, tying the longest outing by an OSU starting pitcher in Big 12 play this season. He racked up a career-high seven strikeouts and allowed just four hits in the contest.
The Cowboys, who left nine runners stranded on base in the contest, had the tying run on third base in the bottom of the ninth, but Ty Wright grounded out to end the game and give UT closer Randy Boone his 11th save.
Mercer and Keanon Simon led OSU with two hits apiece, while Wright was 1-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 19 games.
The middle game of the series is Saturday at 2 p.m.
