Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Missouri State
Four Errors Haunt Cowboys In 7-5 Loss
April 07, 2010 | Cowboy Baseball
April 7, 2010
Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The Oklahoma State baseball team was victimized by four errors in its 7-5 loss to Missouri State at Hammons Field Wednesday. Cowboy miscues yielded four unearned runs for the Bears.
OSU fell to 17-10 overall with the loss and MSU improved to 12-16 with the win.
It took the Cowboys all of one pitch to get on the board, as Tom Belza smacked Clay Murphy's first offering of the game over the right-center field fence for his third home run of the year. Belza was inserted as the leadoff man with Davis Duren missing Wednesday's action with a hand injury sustained against Wichita State Tuesday night.
From that point, however, the starting pitchers on both sides settled in. Missouri State's Clay Murphy retired 12 straight Cowboys following Belza's longball, but OSU southpaw Mike Strong was equally effective. He kept the Bears off the scoreboard through four innings, but things got sour in the bottom of the fifth inning when Missouri State struck for four runs.
The MSU uprising started with a leadoff single from left fielder Keenen Maddox. A hard-luck error by Cowboy third baseman Mark Ginther put runners on first and second, then a bunt single from Missouri State right fielder Curt Courtwright loaded the bases with nobody out. A wild pitch from Strong scored Maddox, then MSU designated hitter Tyler Paxson singled to right to give the Bears a 2-1 lead. A sacrifice bunt from shortstop Travis McComack scored Courtwright, then a sac fly from catcher Luke Voit three batters later put the home team up, 4-1. The Cowboys got out of the inning when Strong coaxed an infield popup out of first baseman Tyler Ryun.
OSU was able to solve Murphy in the eighth inning and it all started with a leadoff walk to left fielder Nico Rosthenhausler. Right fielder Josh Botts followed with a double to center and pinch hitter Luis Uribe chased Murphy from the game after he delivered a two-run double down the left-field line to trim Missouri State's lead to 4-3. Missouri State skipper Keith Guttin went to Grant Gordon out of the bullpen and Gordon was promptly greeted by a two-run home run by OSU center fielder Dusty Harvard that caromed off the right field foul pole and put the Cowboys back on top, 5-4. Gordon retired the next three batters to stop the Cowboy attack.
Missouri State answered with three unearned runs in the bottom half of the inning. A throwing error by Belza put the leadoff man aboard, then Strong walked Ryun to put runners on first and second with nobody out. OSU coach Frank Anderson went to Tyler Lyons out of the bullpen and Lyons immediately allowed a single to Maddox, but the real damage came after the single, when Rosthenhausler's wild throw to third got into the dugout, scoring both Voit and Ryun and moving Maddox to third base. Lyons struck out third baseman Beau Stoker, but a sacrifice fly to center from Courtwright scored Maddox to give the Bears a 7-5 lead. Lyons fanned the next two batters to get out of the inning.
OSU got a man on in the top half of the ninth but was unable to generate any runs.
Gordon claimed the win in his first decision of the year, with Strong dipping to 3-1 win the loss.
Oklahoma State and Missouri State faced each other earlier in the year, with OSU bagging an 8-2 win in Stillwater on March 19.
The Cowboys take Thursday off before returning to action when they host Texas Tech in a three-game set at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium this weekend. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
