Cowboy Baseball Victorious In 2019 Opener

Friday, February 15

Edinburg, TX

7:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

1-0

UT-Rio Grande Valley

0-1

Oklahoma State

UT Rio Grande Valley

February 16, 2019 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

Box Score
Holliday postgame

EDINBURG, Texas – Oklahoma State opened the 2019 season with a 10-3 win as the 16^th-ranked Cowboys topped UT Rio Grande Valley Friday night at UTRGV Baseball Stadium.

Led by newcomer Bryce Carter and junior Max Hewitt, OSU recorded 15 hits in the contest, and Peyton Battenfield picked up the win in relief on the mound.

Carter, a graduate transfer from Stanford, went 3-for-4 with three RBIs at the plate, while Max Hewitt added a career-high three hits and a pair of RBIs. Christian Funk, Trevor Boone and Carson McCusker added two hits apiece for the Cowboys.

Battenfield was one of four Cowboy pitchers on the night that combined for 12 strikeouts. Starter Jensen Elliott struck out five and allowed two earned runs in four innings of work before yielding to Battenfield, who worked two scoreless frames and struck out a pair.

Joe Lienhard also worked two innings, picking up four of his six outs via strikeout, and Ben Leeper finished off the Vaqueros with a scoreless ninth.

UTRGV took the game's initial lead in its first at bat on Anthony Gomez' RBI single, one of three hits for the Vaqueros in the inning.

But the Cowboys quickly answered, taking a lead they would never surrender with a pair of runs in the second. The first run came on a wild pitch that struck out Andrew Navigato but got away from the catcher and allowed Carter to score. OSU again took advantage of the extra out when Hewitt drove in a run with a single, the first RBI of his career.

OSU extended its lead in the third when Funk crushed the Cowboys' first home run of the season, a solo shot to right field to put the visitors up 3-1.

In the fourth, UTRGV loaded the bases with one out following two errors and a single, and a wild pitch brought home a run and trimmed OSU's lead to 3-2. But Elliott escaped further damage with a defensive gem as he dove to snag a bunt by Oliver Closner IV and tossed to third for an inning-ending double play.

The Pokes took command in the fifth, rallying for four runs, all coming with two outs. A two-RBI single by Carter plated the first runs, and Boone followed that with an RBI triple to center field. Boone then scored on a wild pitch to give OSU a 7-2 advantage.

UTRGV mounted its only serious threat the rest of the way in the bottom of the fifth after Elliott hit the first three batters he faced to load the bases. But Battenfield came out of the bullpen and induced a double-play groundout before striking out Christian Sepulveda to end the inning.

OSU is now 4-3 in season openers under head coach Josh Holliday.

The two teams return to action Saturday at 2 p.m.