Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Rout Wichita State
March 22, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball
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With the victory, OSU heads into Big 12 Conference play later this week with a 14-7 record. The Cowboys open league action Thursday at Kansas State.
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Five different Cowboys recorded multiple RBIs against WSU, and nine different Pokes combined for OSU's 16 hits. Corey Hassel had a home run and a double en route to a game-high four RBIs, while Garret McCain and Donnie Walton each drove in three runs.
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Michael Mertz was the beneficiary of the outpouring of run support, and the right-hander was equally as impressive as his offensive teammates. In his third start of the year, the right-hander worked seven scoreless innings, striking out a career-high nine and allowing only two hits, to earn the first win of his OSU career and move to 1-1 on the season.
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Remey Reed and Tyler Buffett worked the final two innings on the mound to secure OSU's third shutout of the year.
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After being kept off the scoreboard over the first three innings, OSU would score in each of its final six at bats, with a two-out rally in the fourth sparking the surge. Jon Littell got things going with walk, and after advancing to second on a wild pitch, he scored on a single up the middle by Andrew Rosa, who finished with a career-best three hits.
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OSU extended the lead when Collin Theroux walked and Garrett McCain ripped a two-RBI double over the head of Shocker left fielder Dayton Dugas to put the Cowboys up 3-0.
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The Pokes extended their lead with two runs in both the fifth and sixth frames – getting a two-RBI triple from Garrett Benge and a two-run homer from Hassel – before a six-run seventh inning put the game away.
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In the seventh, Dustin Williams got things going with a leadoff single, the first of five hits in the inning. Williams later plated the first run of the inning when he scored on a wild pitch before back-to-back RBI singles by Rosa and McCain put OSU up 10-0. The big blow came when Walton collected three RBIs on a bases loaded triple.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Mertz, Michael (1-1)
L: Williams, Chase (0-2)

Batting:
2B: Hassel, Corey 1 ; Benge, Garrett 1 ; McCain, Garrett 1
3B: Walton, Donnie 1 ; Benge, Garrett 1
HR: Hassel, Corey 1 ; Sluder, Ryan 1
RBI: Chappell, Jacob 1 ; Hassel, Corey 4 ; Walton, Donnie 3 ; Benge, Garrett 2 ; Sluder, Ryan 1 ; Rosa, Andrew 2 ; McCain, Garrett 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Davis, J.R. 1 ; Hassel, Corey 2 ; Walton, Donnie 1 ; Williams, Dustin 2 ; Benge, Garrett 2 ; Littell, Jon 2 ; Sluder, Ryan 1 ; Rosa, Andrew 2 ; Petrino, David 1 ; Theroux, Collin 1 ; McCain, Garrett 2
CS: Davis, J.R. 1
HBP: Hassel, Corey 1 ; McCain, Garrett 1

Base Running:
SB: Mucha, Mikel 1 ; Rader, Chase 1
CS: Rader, Chase 1
HBP: Mucha, Mikel 1 ; Rader, Chase 2