Oklahoma State University Athletics
Simpson’s Grand Slam Completes Cowboy Baseball Comeback
April 06, 2019 | Cowboy Baseball
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Holliday, Simpson postgame
STILLWATER – Colin Simpson's eighth-inning grand slam lifted Oklahoma State to a 9-5 win over West Virginia Saturday at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium.
Simpson's blast came with two outs in the eighth as the 23rd-ranked Cowboys improved to 19-10 overall and 6-2 in Big 12 Conference play.
Along with Simpson's four-RBI effort, Noah Sifrit and Trevor Boone had big days at the plate, and Logan Gragg worked a scoreless inning to earn his first-career win.
West Virginia (18-12, 3-5) jumped out to an early lead after putting up three runs in the second inning against Joe Lienhard. The Mountaineers extended their lead to 5-0 in the fourth inning on a Kevin Brophy two-run home run to center field.
Lienhard went four innings for the Pokes, giving up five runs on eight hits and striking out two before turning the ball over to Peyton Battenfield, who pitched a scoreless fifth.
The Cowboys began to climb back into the game in the fifth when Hueston Morill laced a two-out double down the left-field line to set up an RBI single from Andrew Navigato for OSU's first run.
OSU added three more runs in the sixth inning. After a bases-loaded walk to Christian Funk, Sifrit legged out a potential inning-ending double play, allowing Boone to score on the fielder's choice, and Cade Cabbiness never slowed down and hustled around to score from second base when WVU catcher Paul McIntosh dropped the ball on a play at the plate.
Sifrit came through in the clutch again in the eighth inning when he singled to right field to bring home Boone and tie the score at 5-5. WVU elected to intentionally walk Morrill to load the bases and set up the double play, and Andrew Navigato then struck out for the second to bring up Simpson with two down and the bases juiced.
Simpson wasted no time at all, squaring up the first pitch he saw from Sam Kessler and depositing it over the right-field fence for a no-doubt grand slam to give OSU its first lead of the game.
For Simpson, it was his fifth home run of the season and his eighth career home run against West Virginia. The Cowboy slugger leads the team with 30 RBIs.
Parker Scott was instrumental in the comeback win for the Cowboys as well. Scott, making his sixth appearance of the season, came in from the bullpen in the sixth and threw two scoreless innings of no-hit ball to go along with three strikeouts, keeping the Mountaineers from adding to their lead.
Ben Leeper tossed a scoreless ninth inning to seal the win for the Pokes.
The two teams will be back in action for the series finale and rubber game at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for noon.
