OSU Baseball: Cowboys Drop Series to Kansas State with 13-9 Loss

BOXSCORE

The Cowboys went up 4-0 and weathered four-straight runs just to rattle off five-straight scores themselves. But the Wildcats ended things on their own terms.

Oklahoma State fell at Kansas State 13-9 on Saturday, falling to 0-2 on the series and dropping to 6-8 in Big 12 play.

The Pokes (24-14) took a commanding lead into the bottom of the seventh just to get trounced with a four-run seventh followed by a five-run eighth by the Wildcats.

OSU got off to quick start, though, with a 3-0 first inning thanks to an Alex Conover solo homer followed by a two-run bomb by Kollin Ritchie. The Cowboys scored again in the top of the third with a Colin Brueggmann RBI single to make it 4-0 going into the bottom of the third.

The Wildcats answered with two runs each in the for bottoms of the fourth and fifth inning, including a pair of home runs, to tie it up at 8-all. But then the Pokes took back control.

Evan Saunders and Brock Thompson each nailed solo homers in the sixth before Saunders then drilled a three-run bomb in the seventh to give OSU a 9-4 lead.

Unfortunately for OSU, K-State’s Bear Madliak cracked a three-run home run of his own in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead as part of a four-run seventh. The Wildcats piled on with five runs from five batters in the eighth to secure the win at 13-9.

Mario Pesca got the start and allowed seven runs in six and 1/3 innings before Stormy Rhodes spelled him. He fell to 1-2 on the season, giving up the loss as well as six runs in just one and 1/3 innings. Drew Blake closed it with an out on five total pitches.

The Cowboys and Wildcats cap their weekend series at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Manhattan.