Cowboys' Season Ends With NCAA Regional Loss To ORU

Saturday, June 3

Fayetteville, Ark.

2:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

30-27

Oral Roberts

43-15

Oklahoma St.

Oral Roberts

June 03, 2017 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

OSU Post-Game Quotes

Photo Gallery

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Oklahoma State's season came to an end in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional Saturday as Oral Roberts topped the Cowboys, 14-6, at Baum Stadium.

With the loss, OSU finishes its season with a 30-27 record, which includes a 1-3 mark against Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles improved to 43-15.

OSU's 0-2 showing in Fayetteville marks only the third time in 43 NCAA Tournament appearances the Cowboys have failed to win a tourney game. The previous times came at the 2011 NCAA Nashville Regional (lost to Troy and Belmont) and in 1969 at the District V Regional (two losses to Tulsa).

Ryan Sluder led OSU offensively in his final game with the Cowboys as the senior outfielder went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of RBIs. Freshman Michael Neustifter came off the bench and added three RBIs, going 2-for-2 and collecting his fifth home run of the season.

Joe Linehard was one of six Cowboy pitchers on the day and took the loss to fall to 3-3 as the sophomore right-hander allowed four runs on six hits in two innings of work.

The Golden Eagles recorded 16 hits in the contest, with Michael Hungate's 4-for-4, five-RBI effort leading the way.

Oral Roberts took the game's initial lead in the bottom of the second. Following a double by Dylan Snypes and a single by Hungate, the Golden Eagles had runners at the corners with one out. An RBI groundout off the bat of Trevor McCutchin brought home the first run, and Sam Grellner followed with a run-scoring single to put ORU up 2-0.

The Golden Eagles added to their lead in the third, erupting for five runs on five hits. After driving Lienhard from the game with back-to-back singles to open the inning, Tyler Buffett took the mound for the Pokes and struck out the first batter he faced before Brent Williams singled to make the score 3-0. A walk then loaded the bases with one out before an RBI single by Hungate and a two-RBI double by McCutchin made it 6-0. The final run came on a passed ball.

OSU got on the scoreboard in the fourth as a single by Colin Simpson and a double by Ryan Sluder put a pair of Pokes in scoring position with one out. Bryce Fischer would plate Simpson with an RBI groundout before Dustin Williams flew out to the warning track in right field to end the inning and keep the score at 7-1.

ORU extended its lead to 10-1 before the Cowboys made things interesting with a four-run rally with two outs in the fifth to cut their deficit in half.

With the bases full of Cowboys following three walks, Sluder ripped a double down the left-field line to bring home a pair of runs, and Neustifter followed with a two-RBI single to make the score 10-5.

That was as close as OSU would get, however, as Hungate smacked a three-run homer to push the ORU lead to 13-5 in the sixth.

Noteworthy

Garrett McCain went 1-for-4 against ORU and finished the season with a .388 batting average.
Tyler Buffett finishes his career with 275 2/3 innings pitched, which ranks eighth on OSU's all-time list, while his 87 appearances are fifth all time.
Trey Cobb ends his career atop the OSU appearances list as he took the mound in 92 games during his four years in Stillwater. He also ranks sixth all time with 11 saves.
Ryan Sluder started 148 games in his career and ranks seventh at OSU in career sacrifice bunts with 29.
Dustin Williams finishes his career having played 212 games in a Cowboy uniform, one shy of entering the program's top-10 all time, and his 10 triples are tied for ninth all time at OSU.