Cowboys’ Winning Streak Snapped In Finale

Sunday, March 20

Stillwater, Okla.

12:00:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

13-7

Michigan

12-5

Michigan

Oklahoma State

Jensen Elliott

March 20, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

PHOTO GALLERY

STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State had its season-long winning streak end at seven Sunday as 18^th-ranked Michigan handed the No. 22 Cowboys a 4-2 loss in the series finale at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

With the loss, which was just OSU's second in 11 games on its home field this season, the Cowboys fell to 13-7, while Michigan improved to 12-5.

"We played four games against ranked teams this week and won three, and we played really hard collectively across the week," said OSU head coach Josh Holliday. "We faced a lot of good pitching, we faced a lot of different environments and the kids were tough all week long. Today we were a little short maybe emotionally. But I think what you look at as a coach is the quality of your approach, the quality of your competitive spirit and the overall nature of the team.

"For the week, it was a very good week. Had we come out on top today, it could have been a great week. But as it stands, we got three wins and learned some more about ourselves, had some guys do some great things and collectively as a team took another step forward."

Jensen Elliott took the loss on the mound Sunday despite recording a career-high eight strikeouts. In six innings of work, the freshman right-hander allowed four runs — just two of them earned — on seven hits to fall to 2-1.

Offensively, the Cowboys managed only four hits, two of those by J.R. Davis, while Garrett Benge drove in both OSU runs.

UM took a lead it would never surrender in its first at bat, getting a sacrifice fly off the bat of Harrison Wenson to go up 1-0.

The Wolverines added a pair of unearned runs in the fifth. Elliott opened the inning by striking out Ako Thomas, but Thomas would reach safely on a passed ball. Following a sacrifice bunt and a groundout, Carmen Benedetti brought Thomas home with a single, and two batters later, an RBI single by Cody Bruder made it 3-0.

The visitors pushed their lead to 4-0 in the sixth before the Cowboys finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning. Donnie Walton and Dustin Williams led off the home half of the inning with consecutive walks and after a sacrifice bunt by Corey Hassel, Benge delivered a sacrifice fly to cut the OSU deficit to 4-1.

Benge would provide OSU's only other run in the eighth when he ripped a two-out RBI double to right field to cut the Pokes' deficit to 4-2.

Following Elliott's six innings, five Cowboy pitchers — Jake Cowan, Carson Teel, Max Simpson, Alex Hackerott and Blake Battenfield — combined to keep UM off the scoreboard over the final three frames.

OSU returns to action Tuesday at Wichita State before opening Big 12 Conference play Thursday against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan.