Cowboy Baseball Clinches Series Win Over Southeastern Louisiana

Saturday, March 16

Stillwater, OK

2:05 PM

Oklahoma State University

12-5

Southeastern Louisiana

6-12

SE Louisiana

Oklahoma State

Andrew Navigato

Cowboy Baseball Clinches Series Win Over Southeastern Louisiana

March 16, 2019 | Cowboy Baseball

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STILLWATER – Pitching again carried Oklahoma State Saturday as the Cowboys clinched a series win with a 5-1 victory over Southeastern Louisiana at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.

OSU kept the Lions (6-12) off the scoreboard over the final eight innings, and the Cowboys scored all five of their runs in the first two frames to claim their fourth-straight win and improve to 12-5 on the year.

Joe Lienhard picked up the win in relief on the mound as the senior right-hander worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings to improve to 2-1 on the season. Lienhard was one of five OSU pitchers who combined to limit the Lions to just one run on five hits.

Andrew Navigato led OSU offensively in the win, launching a two-run home run in the first inning on his way to driving in four of the Cowboys' five runs; the Cowboys' third baseman ended the day 2-for-5 at the plate.

Also helping the OSU offense out was Hueston Morrill as the freshman collected three hits from the leadoff spot and scored twice. Morrill has had a great start to his Cowboy career and is the team leader in hits (19) and batting average (.358).

SLU shortstop Cody Grosse led off the game with a home run on the second pitch he saw from Jake Lyons, who was making the first start of his career. Lyons settled in nicely after that, working 4 1/3 innings while giving up just three hits and tying a career high with six strikeouts.

Navigato's two-run homer in the bottom of the first erased the Pokes' early deficit, and OSU plated one more run in the first on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Christian Funk that scored Colin Simpson and gave the home team a 3-1 advantage.

OSU added its final two runs in the second inning, with Max Hewitt and Morrill scoring on Navigato's two-RBI single.

Lienhard was the first Cowboy out of the bullpen, and he entered in the fifth facing a bases-loaded, one-out situation. But he would work out of the jam by inducing a ground ball for a force out at home before a pop out ended the threat.

In the sixth, Lienhard again worked out of trouble. After issuing back-to-back singles to open the inning, he recorded three-straight outs to keep the Cowboys' lead at 5-1.

Logan Gragg, Brady Basso and Peyton Battenfield combined to get the final nine outs for the Cowboys as the trio did not allow a hit over final three innings.

The two teams will be back in action for Sunday's series finale at 1:05 p.m. at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.