Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
West Virginia
Cowboys Rout West Virginia To Take Series
April 12, 2014 | Cowboy Baseball
April 12, 2014
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Oklahoma State secured its third-straight Big 12 Conference series win Saturday as the 18th-ranked Cowboys defeated West Virginia, 9-2, at Hawley Field.
With its 15th come-from-behind win, OSU improved to 25-10 overall and 7-4 in Big 12 play. The Cowboys will play for a series sweep Sunday beginning at noon (CST).
Saturday's series clincher saw freshman Blake Battenfield record his first-career win with 4 1/3 innings in relief, while Tanner Krietemeier led an offense that collected 13 hits with a 5-for-6 day at the plate. Krietemeier's five hits were the most by a Cowboy since Robbie Rea had five against Alabama A&M in 2012.
“We had good pitching, very good defense and the will to compete for nine innings on the road,” said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. “I'm really proud of the type of baseball we've put together in back-to-back days on the road. It's definitely a step in the right direction.”
WVU (16-14, 2-5) took the game's initial lead off OSU starter Tyler Buffett with a two-out rally in the third as three-straight singles, the final one an RBI by Billy Fleming, put the Mountaineers up, 1-0.
That score remained until the seventh as WVU starter Sean Carley, who entered the game with a 5-1 mark, blanked the Cowboys over the first six frames. During that span, OSU had its chances, collecting seven hits but leaving nine runners stranded.
However, that changed in the seventh, as the Cowboys finally got to the tiring right-hander.
Saulyer Saxon got things started with a leadoff walk, and two batters later, Krietemeier singled. After a fly out, Krietemeier stole second, and Gage Green was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs.
The Cowboys then sent Garrett Williams to pinch hit, and the freshman drew a five-pitch walk to bring home the tying run.
“If you want to win ball games against good starting pitchers, you have to outlast them,” Holliday said. “(Carley) was a very accomplished pitcher to this point in the season, and they rode him for 127 pitches. For our kids to hang in there and compete as well as they did, they essentially, in my eyes, earned what happened. We took (WVU's) best weapon and outlasted him until he fatigued and when he did, we were very opportunistic with what followed.”
The Cowboys certainly were. In the eighth, they rallied for four runs on a pair of hits off WVU closer Corey Walter. Saxon plated the go-ahead run with an RBI single to make it 2-1, and OSU added two more runs on an error before a sacrifice fly by Conor Costello put the Pokes up by a 5-1 count.
In the ninth, OSU added plenty of insurance, with the big blow coming on a bases-loaded double by Donnie Walton that brought home three runs.
Battenfield finished off the Mountaineers to improve to 1-0 on the year, with his 4 1/3 innings marking the longest outing of his career. After coming on in the fifth with the bases loaded and two outs and getting out of the jam, he pitched out of trouble in the sixth and seventh innings and allowed just one run in the ninth with the game all but decided.
“To get a pair of freshmen in Buffett and Battefield to walk out there today and give us nine very good innings against a very capable and strong, veteran offense was a huge step in the right direction,” Holliday said.
