Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Top Canadian Select Team In Exhibition Contest
October 14, 2014 | Cowboy Baseball
PHOTO GALLERY
STILLWATER, Okla. – Oklahoma State hosted an international exhibition contest against the Ontario Blue Jays Tuesday night at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, and the 12-inning affair saw the Cowboys earn a 17-6 victory.
The Cowboys used 14 different position players and 11 different pitchers in the contest, with nine of those players making their debuts in an OSU uniform.
The score was close for much of the game, with Ontario leading 4-3 after 7 ½ innings before the Cowboys rallied for six runs in the bottom of the eighth, the big blow coming on a bases loaded triple by Conor Costello.
“It was fun to get out here and play someone in another uniform and put our uniforms on – it takes practice and breaks up the monotony of intrasquad games, which can get tough after a while,” said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. “The most important thing was we identified some areas we've got to get better at and saw a lot of guys get on the diamond and get their feet wet. And some of our returning players did a good job when we needed it of stepping in there and making some plays and some pitches to flip the scoreboard.
“It's a good experience for our team to go through a game-day simulation in the fall. We have a little better understanding now moving ahead of what it feels like to play a game and what the expectations and requirements are to win a game.”
One of those newcomers, freshman outfielder Jon Littell, had a big night at the plate as the hometown boy collected four hits and two RBIs in five at bats. Fellow first-year Cowboy, JUCO transfer David Petrino, had a pair of hits and an RBI in his debut.
Veterans Donnie Walton (3-for-4, 2 RBIs), Tim Arakawa (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) and Costello (3 RBIs) also turned in strong performances at the plate.
On the mound, the Cowboys combined for 12 strikeouts, with Jon Perrin, Carson LaRue, Tyler Buffett and Michael Freeman each collecting two punch outs. Perrin worked two innings and was OSU's only pitcher to go more than one frame.
