Cowboys Knock Off #3 Texas Tech At Big 12 Tourney

Wednesday, May 24

Oklahoma City, Okla.

12:30 PM

Oklahoma State University

27-25

Texas Tech

42-14

Oklahoma State

Texas Tech

Colin Simpson

May 24, 2017 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

Photo Gallery

Highlights

Postgame Press Conference

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma State opened play at the Big 12 Baseball Championship Wednesday with a 3-0 win over top-seeded and No. 3 Texas Tech at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

The win was the third in a row for the Cowboys, who improved to 27-25 on the season and are now 9-5 against ranked teams. The victory marked OSU's third in four games against TTU this season, and the shutout was the Pokes' fourth of the year and first since March 15 vs. New Mexico.

With the win, OSU advanced to Thursday's winner's bracket and will take on fourth-seeded West Virginia at 4 p.m. The Mountaineers run-ruled Baylor, 11-1, in eight innings in the tourney's opening game.

Blake Battenfield picked up the win on the mound to improve to 4-4 on the season as the junior right-hander combined with relievers Carson Teel and Trey Cobb to keep the Red Raiders (42-14) off the scoreboard and hold the league's top-hitting team to just five hits.

Offensively, the Cowboys collected RBIs from Cade Cabbiness, Garrett McCain and Jon Littell, while Colin Simpson and Cameron Dobbs had two hits apiece.

Battenfield pitched out of an early jam in the bottom of the first inning. After Tanner Gardner singled, a double by Josh Jung put Red Raiders at second and third with one out. Up next, Battenfield struck out Hunter Hargrove before a walk loaded the bases. But Battenfield once again recorded a big strikeout, getting Orlando Garcia swinging to end the threat.

OSU then seized the momentum and took an early lead in its next at bat. Simpson led off the frame with an opposite-field double and after taking third on a sacrifice bunt by Ryan Sluder, he came home to score on Cade Cabbiness' sacrifice fly to center field as Simpson slid in just ahead of the tag at home plate; video of the play was reviewed by the umpires and the call was confirmed to put the Cowboys up 1-0.

The Cowboys built their lead over the next two frames, getting another sacrifice fly, this one off the bat of McCain, to go up 2-0 in the third and then pushing the lead to three on an RBI single by Littell in the fourth, a hit that also extended Littell's career-long hitting streak to 12 games.

That was more than enough support for the Cowboy hurlers. Battenfield retired the side in three of his six innings of work before Teel took the mound to open the seventh and worked a pair of scoreless frames.

In the ninth, Cobb took the hill and retired all three batters he faced on 12 pitches for his third save of the season. The save was also the 11^th of his career, moving him into sixth place on OSU's all-time list.