Cowboys Drop Series To Texas Tech

Saturday, April 9

Stillwater, Okla.

3:00:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

19-11, 0

Texas Tech

23-9, 0

Texas Tech

Oklahoma State

April 09, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

PHOTO GALLERY

STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State lost a Saturday matchup against No. 19 Texas Tech as the 16th-ranked Cowboys fell, 8-2, in front of 2,855 fans at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

With the Red Raiders clinching the series, OSU suffered its first Big 12 home series loss in a three-game league set since 2012. OSU had won nine consecutive three-game conference series in Stillwater under head coach Josh Holliday.

The loss drops OSU to 19-11 overall and 4-4 in Big 12 play, while the Red Raiders now sit at 23-9 and atop the Big 12 standings with a 10-1 mark in conference action.

"It's a gut check for us," Holliday said. "We've faced a gut check earlier this year with us losing on four-straight walkoffs. We were gut checked then and responded, and we're gut checked now."

It was a quick start for TTU, who jumped on the board right away, scoring twice in the first inning against OSU starter Trey Cobb.

A leadoff walk and a wild pitch saw TTU's Seth Smith reach second base with nobody out. Tanner Gardner then hit a blooper to shallow center, but a diving Ryan Sluder was unable to hang onto the ball as TTU took a 1-0 lead.

Tech's second run came after Cory Raley singled up the middle to bring Gardner home. But Cobb limited any further damage as he induced the first of the Cowboys' three double plays on the day to end the inning.

"To come out and spot them two (runs), that was not the start you're looking for," Holliday said. "We played poorly but still had a chance to fight back. I think we've got some guys right now trying to find themselves, whether it be with the bat in their hands or the ball in their hands."

TTU added another run in the third inning to push the lead to 3-0. With the bases loaded and only one out, Raley hit a high chopper down the third-base line that hung in the air too long for Garrett Benge to make a throw, bringing home a run.

In the home half of the fourth though, Donnie Walton ripped a double down the left field line to give the Cowboys their first opportunity with a runner in scoring position. With two outs, Dustin Williams delivered his team-high 25th RBI of the season as he singled to center field, scoring Walton from second.

The one run was all OSU could muster in the fourth, and TTU responded with a run of their own in the top of the fifth as three straight singles brought Trey Ochoa home. With TTU now up 4-1, Michael Mertz came on to pitch for Cobb.

Cobb took the loss, dropping him to 3-5 this season. The right-hander allowed four runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings of work, while Mertz surrendered two runs and struck out three batters across his three innings in relief.

Down 6-1 entering the bottom of the eighth, OSU made one final push at a comeback as freshman Colin Simpson led off the inning with a no-doubter over the right field wall – his first home run and RBI as a Cowboy. After J.R. Davis reached on an infield single, Corey Hassel fouled out to the pitcher, and Walton grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.

The Cowboys finished with nine hits in the contest, and David Petrino recorded his first multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-3 at the plate as the designated hitter. Petrino and Davis were the only two Cowboys to record multiple hits in the contest as Davis finished with three base knocks.

Tech added two more runs in the top of the ninth to seal the win.

Robert Dugger picked up the win in relief for the Red Raiders as he gave up just one run over 3 1/3 innings to improve to 3-0 this season.

The teams will wrap up the weekend series on Sunday at 1 p.m.