Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
18-11-1, 7-2
Kansas State
15-17, 2-7
Cowboy Baseball Gets Another Big 12 Series Sweep
April 09, 2018 | Cowboy Baseball
Box Score (PDF)
Boone Postgame Interview
MANHATTAN, Kan. – For only the second time in the last six seasons, Oklahoma State has recorded consecutive Big 12 Conference series sweeps as the Cowboys completed the feat with a 13-7 win over Kansas State in Monday's series finale at Tointon Family Stadium.
The Cowboys rallied for nine runs over the final two innings for their sixth-straight conference win as they improved to 7-2 in the Big 12 and 18-11-1 overall. The Wildcats are now 15-17 and 2-7 in the league.
The six-game Big 12 winning streak marks the longest by an OSU team since 2015, and the back-to-back conference series sweeps is the first time the Cowboys have achieved that feat since 2014, which is the only other time they have swept consecutive league series under head coach Josh Holliday.
Trevor Boone's eighth-inning grand slam fueled the Cowboys' comeback victory, while Colin Simpson and Michael Neustifter added three RBIs apiece.
C.J. Varela recorded the win on the mound to improve to 3-0 on the season as the right-hander worked 1 2/3 innings in relief of starter Jonathan Heasley.
OSU didn't need long to take a lead in the contest as Simpson got the scoring started by blasting a two-run home run to right field in the first inning. The round tripper was Simpson's ninth of the season, tying him for the Big 12 lead.
The Wildcats trimmed their deficit in the second. Drew Mount led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on an error by Heasley on a pickoff attempt, and up next, Trent McMaster delivered an RBI single to make the score 2-1.
OSU pushed its lead back to two in the fourth, this time on an RBI single by Neustifter that put the visitors up by a 3-1 margin.
Once again, K-State would cut the Cowboys' lead to one, this time in the sixth. After Heasley issued back-to-back walks with two outs, McMaster picked up his second RBI hit of the day to make the score 3-2.
OSU would get the run back in its next at bat. Following a two-out walk to pinch hitter Cade Cabbiness, Carson McCusker doubled to left field to bring home Cabbiness as the Pokes took a 4-2 lead.
But a two-out rally by the Wildcats gave them their first lead of the series in the bottom of the seventh as they plated four runs, taking advantage of a walk, hit batter and a fielder's choice. The big blow came on a three-run homer by Cameron Thompson, K-State's only hit of the inning, that carried over the wall in right field and put the home team on top, 6-4.
The Cowboys wouldn't stay down long as they loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth. That brought Boone to the plate and on a 2-2 offering from Tyler Eckberg, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week launched an opposite-field grand slam over the wall in right to put OSU up 8-6.
K-State trimmed that lead to one in the bottom of the inning, but a five-run outburst in the ninth, with RBIs from Simpson, Littell, Neustifter and Cabbiness, was the surge OSU needed to come out on top.
OSU returns to action Tuesday when it hosts No. 20 Wichita State at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Varela, C.J. (3-0)
L: Eckberg, T. (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Neustifter, Michael 1 ; McCusker, Carson 1
HR: Simpson, Colin 1 ; Boone, Trevor 1
RBI: Simpson, Colin 3 ; Littell, Jon 1 ; Neustifter, Michael 3 ; Boone, Trevor 4 ; Cabbiness, Cade 1 ; McCusker, Carson 1
SF: Littell, Jon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rosa, Andrew 2 ; Kroon, Matt 2 ; Simpson, Colin 3 ; Littell, Jon 1 ; Neustifter, Michael 1 ; Cash, Ryan 1 ; Boone, Trevor 1 ; Cabbiness, Cade 1 ; McCusker, Carson 1
SB: Kroon, Matt 1 ; Littell, Jon 1
HBP: Kroon, Matt 1 ; McCusker, Carson 1
Batting:
HR: Thompson, C. 1
RBI: Watts, D. 1 ; Thompson, C. 3 ; Mount, D. 1 ; McMaster, T. 2
SF: Watts, D. 1 ; Mount, D. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brennan, W. 1 ; Thompson, C. 2 ; Mount, D. 1 ; Barfield, K. 1 ; Harker, H. 1 ; McWhertor, T 1 ; Owen, B. 1
SB: Watts, D. 1 ; Thompson, C. 1
HBP: Owen, B. 1
