Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Nebraska
Blandford Leads Cowboys To Win In Series Finale
March 23, 2009 | Cowboy Baseball
LINCOLN, Neb. — Tyler Blandford tied a career high with 11 strikeouts as Oklahoma State salvaged the final game of its series at Nebraska with a 6-3 win over the Cornhuskers Sunday afternoon at Hawks Field.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the 11th-ranked Cowboys, who improved to 15-7 overall and 1-2 in Big 12 Conference play.
Blandford was outstanding on the mound as the junior worked eight innings to improve to 4-0 on the season. The right hander allowed just three runs, two of them earned, on three hits.
A native of Owensboro, Ky., Blandford's 11 strikeouts marked his third-straight outing reaching double figures in whiffs and his second-consecutive 11-strikeout game.
The win, just Blandford's second ever against Big 12 competition, marks his fourth of the season, which ties his career-best total of a year ago.
OSU freshman closer Randy McCurry came on in the ninth inning with a runner on first and no outs and retired Nebraska in order to collect his Big 12-leading sixth save of the season.
Neil Medchill and Dean Green led OSU's offensive attack in the middle of the order as both players went 3-for-5 and scored twice. Green also collected three RBIs.
OSU got on the scoreboard first with a run in the second inning. Green led off the frame with a single, and after he advanced to second on a groundout, Davis Duren delivered a clutch two-out single up the middle to bring home Green with OSU's first run.
The Cornhuskers answered in the bottom of the second, getting an RBI single from Nick Sullivan to tie the score at 1-1.
The score would not remain tied for long. In the top of the third, Micheal Dabbs led off with his second hit of the game and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Tom Belza. The Cowboys then executed a perfect hit-and-run as Kevin David singled through the left side to plate Dabbs and give OSU a 2-1 lead.
OSU wasn't done. Medchill followed David with a double into the right-center field gap, and Green's second single of the game put the Cowboys up, 3-1. Doug Kroll followed that with a sacrifice fly to give the Pokes a three-run advantage.
The score remained 4-1 until the bottom of the sixth when the Cornhuskers managed an unearned run to trim their deficit in half.
With two outs, Blandford struck out Aaron Bailey for the apparent third out of the inning. But the ball got away from OSU catcher Eric Walker, who picked it up and made an errant throw to first that allowed Bailey to reach safely. Kyle Bubak also advanced to third on the play and then scored on a wild pitch to make the score 4-2.
OSU answered in the seventh. Medchill led off with his second double of the contest, and Green followed with a two-run home run over the wall in right-center field. The blast was Green's second homer of the season and put the Cowboys up by a 6-2 count.
Nebraska once again cut into OSU's lead in the bottom of the inning, this time on Sullivan's first home run of the season, a solo shot that made the score 6-3.
OSU returns to action with a pair of midweek games in Stillwater against UNLV. The Cowboys will host the Rebels Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
