Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Run-Rule Baylor, 14-3
May 24, 2008 | Cowboy Baseball
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma State snapped a nine-game losing streak at the Big 12 Conference Baseball Championship with a 14-3 run-rule win over Baylor in seven innings Friday night at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark.
With the victory, the No. 6 Cowboys improved to 41-16 on the season. They will advance to Sunday's tournament championship game if on Saturday they defeat
Rebel Ridling led the Cowboys' 18-hit attack against Baylor as the senior first baseman collected a season-high six RBIs with a 3-for-4 night that included a pair of home runs. Ridling's six RBIs tied a Big 12 Championship single-game record.
Luis Flores and Matt Hague also had big offensive nights, with each collecting three RBIs, while Donnie Webb was 4-for-5 at the plate.
OSU's 14 runs, which is the most the Cowboys have scored in the conference tournament since they racked up 17 against Iowa State in 2001, was more than enough run support for starter Andrew Oliver.
Oliver, a sophomore southpaw, set a career high with 11 strikeouts and improved to 7-2 this season. He worked 6.1 innings and allowed three runs on nine hits.
The Cowboys got on the scoreboard in their first at bat, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Back-to-back singles by Webb and Jordy Mercer started the inning, and Dean Green brought home a run with an RBI groundout.
Baylor (32-25) tied the score in the second on an RBI bunt single by Gregg Glime and threatened to take the lead after loading the bases with one out. But Oliver struck out Raynor Campbell and got Beamer Weems to fly out to end the inning.
The game would not be tied for long as the Cowboys rallied for six runs on seven hits in the top of the third.
Again it was Webb getting things started with a single, and after Mercer was hit by a pitch, Hague stepped to the plate and snapped the tie with his 10th home run of the season, a three-run blast over the wall in left field.
After a double by Green, OSU added to its lead via the long ball once again as Ridling delivered an opposite-field shot to right-centerfield to make the score 6-1. The round tripper was Ridling's 17th of the season.
OSU's final run in the inning came on Webb's second hit of the frame, an RBI single that put the Cowboys up by a 7-1 count.
The Cowboys tallied a run in the fourth and two in the sixth before the game clinching rally in the seventh.
And it was Ridling capping his big night with a two-out grand slam to left field to give the Cowboys' the 11-run lead they needed to secure a run-rule win. The round tripper also moved Ridling into the conference lead in homers with 18.
OSU concludes pool play Saturday against
