Cowboy Baseball Victorious In Series Opener

Friday, March 29

Morgantown, WV

5:30 PM (CST)

Oklahoma State University

17-9, 4-3

West Virginia

15-11, 4-3

Oklahoma State

West Virginia

Sam Garcia

Photo by: Oklahoma State Men's Basketball

March 29, 2024 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Oklahoma State extended its winning streak to four Friday night as the Cowboys opened their series against West Virginia with a 2-1 victory at Kendrick Family Ballpark.

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 17-9 and 4-3 in Big 12 play, while WVU fell to 15-11 and 4-3 in the league.

Pitching continued to carry the Pokes as four hurlers combined to post 14 strikeouts, OSU's sixth consecutive game with double-digit strikeouts, and hold the Mountaineers to just four hits.

Sam Garcia was dominant to earn his third win of the season as the southpaw worked seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits and striking out a season-high 11. He did not issue a walk.

Carson Benge also came up big as he notched his second save by keeping WVU off the scoreboard over the final 1 2/3 innings and picking up a pair of strikeouts along the way.

Zach Ehrhard and Tyler Wulfert had two hits apiece for the Cowboys while Colin Brueggemann homered.

OSU plated the game's first run when Brueggemann opened the second inning with his team-leading sixth home run of the season, sending an Aidan Major pitch into the bullpen in left field.

The Cowboys continued to hold the one-run lead as Garcia carved up the Mountaineers' lineup, and OSU would double its lead in the sixth when Ehrhard delivered a two-out RBI double to make the score 2-0.

WVU finally broke through in the seventh. After Garcia struck out the first two Mountaineers in the inning, Grant Hussey smacked a home run to right field to cut the OSU lead to 2-1.

In the eighth, the Mountaineers mounted a threat as a leadoff infield single and an error put two runners on with one out. That brought Benge out of right field to take over on the mound, and after a strikeout, a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position.

But Benge struck out Reed Chumley to end the inning and retired WVU in order in the ninth to secure the win.

The two teams return to action Saturday at 3 p.m. (CDT).