Cowboys Sweep Doubleheader Against Missouri

Sunday, March 29

Stillwater, Okla.

6:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

Missouri

March 30, 2009 | Cowboy Baseball

STILLWATER, Okla. Â— Oklahoma State earned its first Big 12 Conference series win of the season Sunday by emerging victorious in both games of a doubleheader against Missouri at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

The 17th-ranked Cowboys collected a 13-1 run-rule win in seven innings in the opener before knocking off the Tigers, 6-2, in the nightcap. With the victories, OSU improved to 19-7 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 play and tied its longest winning streak of the season with its fifth-straight win.

The opener pitted two of the nation's top pitchers against each other, and it would be OSU's Andrew Oliver getting the best of Mizzou ace Kyle Gibson (4-2).

In five starts this season prior to Sunday, Gibson had allowed just six runs, but the Cowboys tagged the right hander for seven runs on seven hits and knocked him out of the game after just two innings of work.

OSU got things going in its first at bat. With one out, Tyrone Hambly was hit by a pitch, and Neil Medchill followed with a single. That brought up Dean Green, who blasted a Gibson offering over the wall in right field to give the Cowboys a 3-0 lead. The home run was Green's third of the season.

The Cowboys continued to add to their lead in the second inning. Doug Kroll and Davis Duren collected back-to-back singles to open the frame, and Mark Ginther drove both Cowboys home with a double to make the score 5-0. Two batters later, it was Hambly's turn as he delivered an RBI single. Hambly also scored OSU's final run of the inning when he raced home on a wild pitch.

With plenty of offensive support, Oliver cruised on the mound to improve to 4-2 on the season. The junior southpaw worked all seven innings and allowed just one run on four hits while striking out 10. The 10 strikeouts were just one shy of his career high.

OSU added a run in the fourth on a solo home run by Micheal Dabbs, and then put the game away with a five-run rally in the fifth, the big blow coming when Dabbs collected two more RBIs with a triple.

Dabbs was one of four Cowboys with two hits in the opener, and along with Green, he led OSU with three RBIs.

In game two, OSU's Tyler Blandford continued his strong work on the mound and picked up his fifth win of the season.

OSU took a 1-0 lead in the nightcap when Hambly, who had doubled, scored on a two-out single by Green.

The Tigers (12-14, 3-5) took their first lead of the day in the fourth as they scored their only runs of the contest. Steve Gray brought home Mizzou's first run with a triple, and he later scored on a balk to put the visitors up, 2-1.

But the Cowboys would not trail for long as they scored in each of their next four at bats.

OSU tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Tom Belza collected an RBI on a fielder's choice, and the Cowboys regained the lead in the fifth on Dabbs' second homer of the day and fifth of the season.

Leading 3-2, OSU added to its lead in the sixth. After Kevin David tripled, Belza singled to left to push the Cowboys' advantage to two. And in the seventh, the Cowboys added a pair of insurance runs on a two-run homer by Medchill, his team-leading ninth round tripper of the season.

Blandford lasted 7.1 innings and allowed just two runs on two hits while striking out six to improve to 5-0 on the season.

Freshman Randy McCurry worked the final 1.2 innings for the Cowboys in a non-save situation to close the door on Missouri.

Hambly was 3-for-3 in the second game and scored twice, while Dabbs and Green collected two hits apiece.

The two teams return to action Monday in the series finale, which is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.