Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Texas Tech
Cowboys Claim Series Win Over Texas Tech
May 17, 2009 | Cowboy Baseball
May 17, 2009
LUBBOCK, Texas -
A six-run seventh inning propelled Oklahoma State to its second conference series win of the year as the Cowboys earned a 10-9 win over Texas Tech Sunday at Dan Law Field.
The Cowboys conclude the regular season with a 32-22 record and finish Big 12 Conference play at 9-16.
Freshman Randy McCurry picked up the win for the Cowboys as he worked the final 3.2 innings and allowed just one unearned run on three hits to improve to 3-1.
Micheal Dabbs led OSU's offensive attack with a 3-for-5 effort, while Neil Medchill collected a pair of hits, including a home run in the pivotal seventh inning, and three RBIs.
Dabbs led off the game with a single up the middle and promptly stole second. After a sacrifice bunt by Tyrone Hambly, Medchill tripled down the right field line to bring home OSU's first run. Medchill later scored on a balk to make the score 2-0.
OSU doubled its lead in the second inning. Dean Green got things started with a single, and two batters later, Hambly crushed a two-run home run to left field to put the Cowboys on top 4-0. The homer was Hambly's ninth of the season.
The Red Raiders (24-30, 12-15) cut into OSU's lead with a pair of runs in the third. A double, a walk and a bunt single loaded the bases with no outs before Cowboy starter Tyler Blandford recorded the first out on a popup. But TTU plated a run on a fielder's choice RBI by Joey Kenworthy, and a two-out, RBI single off the bat of Chris Richburg made the score 4-2.
OSU held its two-run advantage until the bottom of the fifth when the Red Raiders took the lead with a two-out rally. Kenworthy got things started with a triple, and after a walk to Richburg, back-to-back RBI singles by Scott LeJeune and Taylor Ashby evened the score at 4-4.
With TTU runners on second and third, Blandford surrendered the go-ahead run on a balk, and after he hit Kevin Whitehead with a pitch, his day on the mound was done. Jared Starks came out of the OSU bullpen and got Justin Berry to pop out to end the inning, but the damage was done as the Red Raiders led 5-4.
TTU added to its lead in the sixth, taking advantage of a pair of Cowboy errors to plate four unearned runs. The big blows in the inning came on a two-out, two-RBI double by LeJeune and an RBI single by Ashby that put the Red Raiders up by a 9-4 margin.
After being held scoreless for four-straight innings, OSU regained the lead with a six-run rally in the top of the seventh in which the Cowboys sent 11 batters to the plate.
Green got the scoring started with a solo home run to right field, his fifth homer of the season, to make the score 9-5.
The Cowboys struck again via the long ball three batters later when Medchill homered with two outs to pull OSU to within 9-7. Medchill's two-run shot was his team-leading 14th homer of the season.
The big inning continued when Kevin David followed Medchill with a double, and an RBI single by Tom Belza plated David trim OSU's deficit to one.
OSU took advantage of a pair of TTU errors to take the lead. The first came when LeJeune dropped a fly ball in right field, allowing Belza to score the tying run. The Cowboys scored the go-ahead run when Berry misplayed a ball at third base, and Mark Ginther scampered home to put the Pokes up 10-9.
TTU closer Chad Bettis suffered his first loss of the season to fall to 5-1.
The Cowboys will now wait to learn their postseason fate. NCAA Tournament selections will be announced Monday, May 25 at 11:30 a.m. The 64-team bracket announcement will be televised on ESPN.
