Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Split Doubleheader
March 23, 2010 | Cowboy Baseball
March 23, 2010
STILLWATER, Okla. - Oklahoma State had its winning streak come to an end in the opening game of a doubleheader against Alabama A&M Tuesday at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, but the Cowboys came back in the nightcap and turned in a record-setting performance on the mound to get back on a winning track.
OSU dropped a 6-5 decision in 10 innings in the opener, a game that snapped the Cowboys' eight-game winning streak and one that ended an eight-game losing streak for the Bulldogs.
In game two, pitchers Kevin Chambers and Brian Denneny combined for an OSU-record 20 strikeouts, breaking a record that had stood for nearly 46 years, as the Cowboys cruised to a 26-0 win. The duo also allowed just two hits in combining for OSU's second shutout of the season.
While OSU's offense put up huge numbers in the nightcap, it was pitching that was the story.
Making just his second-career start, Chambers racked up 15 strikeouts in six innings to improve to 2-0 on the season. The freshman southpaw tied the Reynolds Stadium record for strikeouts in a game and fell just one shy of tying Derek Brandow's OSU single-game record of 16 strikeouts set in 1992 against Iowa State at the Big Eight Tournament.
Chambers likely could have gotten the record had the Cowboys not erupted for 12 runs in the bottom of the sixth, a rally that kept him on the bench for quite some time and ended his night on the mound.
In the big inning, the Cowboys were just one hitter shy of batting around twice as they scored a dozen runs on seven hits. Mark Ginther had a home run, a single and four RBIs in the inning, while four other Cowboys drove in runs in the frame.
Kevin David finished the second game with five hits and five RBIs, both career highs, while Ginther and Luis Uribe each collected four hits.
Eight different Cowboys collected multiple RBIs in the nightcap to help OSU improve to 13-3 on the season.
Denneny worked the final three innings and recorded five strikeouts, the final one coming in the ninth inning and breaking the previous OSU record of 19, which was last set on April 25, 1964 in a 14-inning game against Kansas.
In Tuesday's opener, OSU took an early 1-0 lead on an RBI double in the bottom of the first, but AAMU tagged Cowboy starter Andrew Heaney for three runs in the third and two in the fifth.
The Cowboys pulled to within a run in the fifth, scoring three times and cutting their deficit to 5-4, and then tied the game in the eighth on an RBI single by Davis Duren.
But in the 10th, the Bulldogs' Kency Duarte singled to bring home Norbert Riggins with what proved to be the winning run.
Brad Propst suffered his first loss of the season on the mound, allowing one run on two hits in two innings of work to fall to 1-1.
The two teams will return to action Wednesday for the decisive series finale at 1 p.m.
