Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Drop Series Finale To Texas Tech
May 13, 2008 | Cowboy Baseball
STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State allowed a season-high 22 hits Sunday, and the No. 8 Cowboys saw their conference winning streak come to an end with a 12-10 loss to Texas Tech at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
The loss snapped OSU's eight-game winning streak in Big 12 Conference play as the Cowboys fell to 16-8 in the league and 37-14 overall.
Despite the loss, OSU remains in third place in the conference standings. And with Missouri's loss Sunday, the Cowboys can finish no worse than third in the league, which guarantees they'll be among the Big 12's top three teams for the third-consecutive season.
In losing just its fourth game of the season at home, OSU squandered an 8-0 lead as Texas Tech (22-28, 7-17) scored all of its runs over the final five innings.
The Cowboys got an RBI single from Matt Hague in the first inning and sacrifice flies from Luis Flores and Tyrone Hambly in the second to take an early 3-0 lead.
That lead increased to eight in the fourth frame as OSU rallied for five runs on five hits. Donnie Webb got the scoring started with an RBI single, and Mercer followed with a two-run home run to put the Cowboys up 6-0. The homer was Mercer's 10th of the season.
OSU wasn't done as four batters later, Rebel Ridling delivered a two-out, two-RBI double to give the Cowboys a seemingly comfortable 8-0 advantage.
But the Red Raiders began their comeback in the fifth, scoring three runs and knocking OSU starter Matt Gardner from the mound.
TTU added three more runs in the sixth on an RBI double by pinch hitter Logan Leslie and a single by Chris Hall that plated a pair of runs and made the score 8-6.
The Cowboys answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth when Michael Dabbs, who had tripled, scored on a wild pitch.
However, the Red Raiders' hot hitting continued as they got a two-run homer from Roger Kieschnick in the seventh and then tied the score at 9-9 in the eighth on a single by Willie Rueda.
Texas Tech captured its first lead of the game in the ninth. Kieschnick led off the inning with a single off Mercer, and after a groundout, a single by Monk Kreder and an intentional walk loaded the bases.
Mercer could not pitch out of the jam as he walked Hall to plate the go-ahead run and then allowed back-to-back RBI singles to Rueda and Joey Kenworthy to put the Red Raiders up 12-9.
OSU opened the bottom of the ninth with a home run off the bat of Neil Medchill, and Rebel Ridling followed with a single to bring the tying run to the plate. But Tom Belza grounded into a double play, and Flores flied out to center field to end the game.
Mercer suffered the loss for OSU to fall to 0-2 on the season. The junior right hander allowed four runs on seven hits in two innings of work.
OSU's offense, which collected 16 hits in the contest, was led by Ridling, who was 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. Webb, Medchill, Belza and Hambly each added two hits.
The Cowboys return to action Tuesday with their final non-conference outing of the season when they host Western Illinois at 6:30 p.m.
The loss snapped OSU's eight-game winning streak in Big 12 Conference play as the Cowboys fell to 16-8 in the league and 37-14 overall.
Despite the loss, OSU remains in third place in the conference standings. And with Missouri's loss Sunday, the Cowboys can finish no worse than third in the league, which guarantees they'll be among the Big 12's top three teams for the third-consecutive season.
In losing just its fourth game of the season at home, OSU squandered an 8-0 lead as Texas Tech (22-28, 7-17) scored all of its runs over the final five innings.
The Cowboys got an RBI single from Matt Hague in the first inning and sacrifice flies from Luis Flores and Tyrone Hambly in the second to take an early 3-0 lead.
That lead increased to eight in the fourth frame as OSU rallied for five runs on five hits. Donnie Webb got the scoring started with an RBI single, and Mercer followed with a two-run home run to put the Cowboys up 6-0. The homer was Mercer's 10th of the season.
OSU wasn't done as four batters later, Rebel Ridling delivered a two-out, two-RBI double to give the Cowboys a seemingly comfortable 8-0 advantage.
But the Red Raiders began their comeback in the fifth, scoring three runs and knocking OSU starter Matt Gardner from the mound.
TTU added three more runs in the sixth on an RBI double by pinch hitter Logan Leslie and a single by Chris Hall that plated a pair of runs and made the score 8-6.
The Cowboys answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth when Michael Dabbs, who had tripled, scored on a wild pitch.
However, the Red Raiders' hot hitting continued as they got a two-run homer from Roger Kieschnick in the seventh and then tied the score at 9-9 in the eighth on a single by Willie Rueda.
Texas Tech captured its first lead of the game in the ninth. Kieschnick led off the inning with a single off Mercer, and after a groundout, a single by Monk Kreder and an intentional walk loaded the bases.
Mercer could not pitch out of the jam as he walked Hall to plate the go-ahead run and then allowed back-to-back RBI singles to Rueda and Joey Kenworthy to put the Red Raiders up 12-9.
OSU opened the bottom of the ninth with a home run off the bat of Neil Medchill, and Rebel Ridling followed with a single to bring the tying run to the plate. But Tom Belza grounded into a double play, and Flores flied out to center field to end the game.
Mercer suffered the loss for OSU to fall to 0-2 on the season. The junior right hander allowed four runs on seven hits in two innings of work.
OSU's offense, which collected 16 hits in the contest, was led by Ridling, who was 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. Webb, Medchill, Belza and Hambly each added two hits.
The Cowboys return to action Tuesday with their final non-conference outing of the season when they host Western Illinois at 6:30 p.m.
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