Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Top Arkansas To Advance To Super Regional
June 04, 2007 | Cowboy Baseball
The Cowboys, the Fayetteville Regional's third seed, completed a three-game sweep through the regional to advance to their first-ever Super Regional under fourth-year head coach Frank Anderson. OSU defeated Arkansas, the No. 7 national seed, twice on their home field to continue its postseason run.
OSU, which also advanced to a Super Regional in 1999, improved to 41-19 on the season and will play the winner of the Columbia Regional later this week. The winner of that regional will be determined Monday when
“It's very exciting,” said OSU senior left fielder Ty Wright. “I know the people around
“This program since I've been here has been building up for this ... This year we put things together and knew we had a shot if we went out and played well.”
The Cowboys powered their way through the regional in
OSU would answer in the third. Jordy Mercer doubled to lead off the frame, and a two-out walk to Keanon Simon put a pair of Cowboys on the bases for Corey Brown.
And Brown delivered, blasting a towering three-run home run over the 39-foot scoreboard in right-center field. The homer was Brown's team-leading 21st of the season.
“I was waiting on a pitch to drive, and I kept taking pitches on the inner half,” Brown said. “I finally got a pitch I liked and put a good swing on it. I knew the wind was blowing out so after I hit it I knew it was gone.”
The Razorbacks regained the lead in the fourth, however. Tim Smalling's RBI single tied the score, and Hamblin scored the go-ahead run on an error to make the score 4-3.
In the top of the fifth, Steve Ptak started a rally with a single, and Simon walked. After Brown fouled out for the second out of the inning, Wright stepped up and drilled a shot over the left-field wall off UA reliever Stephen Richards for a 6-4 Cowboy lead. The blast was Wright's sixth round tripper of the season.
OSU tacked on another run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Mercer to give the Cowboys' a three-run lead.
The Cowboys would need those runs as
Fritsche allowed just one hit and struck out five as the senior southpaw improved to 2-0 on the season.
Six Cowboys earned all-tournament honors at the Fayetteville Regional, and Rebel Ridling was named the tourney's Most Outstanding Player. OSU's all-tournament selections were Oliver Odle (pitcher), Rebel Ridling (first base), Tyler Mach (second base) and outfielders Ty Wright, Corey Brown and Keanon Simon.
