Cowboy Baseball Posts Rare Tie In Series Finale

Sunday, March 7

Stillwater, OK

12:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

9-0-1

Grand Canyon

3-7-1

Grand Canyon

Oklahoma State

March 07, 2021 | Cowboy Baseball

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STILLWATER – For just the sixth time in program history, an Oklahoma State baseball game ended in a tie as the 11^th-ranked Cowboys battled Grand Canyon to a 4-4 score Sunday at O'Brate Stadium. The game was called after nine innings due to a travel curfew for the Lopes.

OSU is now 9-0-1 on the season and still undefeated on its home field at 6-0-1, while GCU is 3-7-1.

The last OSU game to end in a tie came on March 18, 2018, against Seton Hall at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium; that game was also forced to be called due to a travel curfew (as well as weather) with the two teams tied 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The final inning on Sunday provided some clutch hitting from both ballclubs.

In the top of the ninth, GCU recorded a pair of one-out singles. After a bizarre caught stealing left a runner at second, Jacob Wilson doubled to plate the go-ahead run as the Lopes went up 4-3.

In the bottom of the frame, the Cowboys were down to their final strike. But on a full count, Brock Mathis smashed his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to left-center field, to tie the score.

The game would be called after the next Cowboy, Alix Garcia, grounded out.

OSU's first three runs came compliments of Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who delivered a three-run homer in the first inning to give the Cowboys a 3-2 lead. The round tripper was Encarncaion-Strand's team-leading fifth of the season.

Cowboy starter Bryce Osmond worked five innings and allowed three runs on five hits while tying a career high with six strikeouts.

Osmond was followed on the mound by Roman Phansalkar, who tossed 2 1/3 shutout innings before giving way to Trevor Martin, who came up big in the eighth by striking out both batters he faced in the frame to strand a GCU runner on second base and keep the score tied at 3-3.

OSU returns to action Tuesday when the Cowboys travel to Tulsa to take on Oral Roberts at 6 p.m.