Cowboys Hold On To Even Bedlam Series

Saturday, May 14

Tulsa, Okla.

7:30 PM

Oklahoma State University

32-16, 0

Oklahoma

25-24-1, 0

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

May 15, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

PHOTO GALLERY

TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State held off a late rally by Oklahoma Saturday night at ONEOK Field to even The Bedlam Series with a 10-9 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 8,007.

Dustin Williams led the 12^th-ranked Cowboys with a pair of two-run home runs on the night, and Michael Mertz retired OU's best hitter with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning to seal the win as OSU improved to 32-16 overall and 13-7 in Big 12 Conference play.

The Cowboys held a seemingly comfortable 10-3 lead after seven innings behind an offense led by Williams.

OSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead against OU starter Alec Hansen in the bottom of the first. Donnie Walton got the scoring started with an RBI groundout, and Garrett Benge and Colin Simpson both collected RBI singles in the inning.

After OU cut the deficit to 3-2 with a pair of third-inning runs off Jensen Elliott, the Cowboys responded in the bottom of the frame. Benge drove home the first run with his second RBI single of the contest, and Williams followed by blasting an offering from Hansen over the wall in right field to make it 6-2.

Williams continued to showcase his power in his next at-bat, that coming in the fourth inning, as he delivered another two-run shot to right, his Big 12-best 12^th round tripper of the season to put the Pokes up 8-3.

OSU held the five-run lead until the seventh when it reached double digits in the scoring column. Jon Littell ripped the first of his two doubles on the night to bring home a run, and three batters later, Corey Hassel brought Littell home with a single to give the Cowboys a 10-3 advantage.

Down to their final six outs, OU began to battle back. After working 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Elliott, Conor Costello gave up a single to lead off the eighth inning before a Renae Martinez RBI double made it 10-4.

The Sooners (25-24-1, 10-13) weren't done. Tyler Buffett came on in relief of Costello, but the OSU closer struggled as OU tallied two more runs to cut the Cowboys' lead to 10-6.

In the ninth, Steele Walker started another rally with a leadoff single and following a walk and a fielder's choice, the Sooners had runners on the corners with one out. Up next, Martinez recorded another RBI double, and two batters later Alex Wise trimmed the OU deficit to 10-9 with a two-RBI single.

With runners on first and second and one out, a long fly out to center moved the runners up 90 feet and brought Thomas Hughes to the plate. After working the count full against Blake Battenfield, the .067 hitter drew a walk to load the bases and bring up Sheldon Neuse, who had three hits in his first four at-bats Saturday.

Clinging to the one-run lead, the Cowboys called on Mertz out of the bullpen, and the junior right-hander got the job done as on a 2-2 pitch, he got Neuse to pop out to shortstop to end the game.

Simpson led the Cowboys with a career-high three hits, while Williams' four-RBI effort was one shy of his career best.

Costello earned the win on the mound, moving to 1-0 in just his third appearance of the season, while Mertz' save was his second of the year.

Sunday's series rubber game is set for a 2 p.m. start.