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Big 12 Tournament recap: Championship

OSU finally falls in the championship game but still gets to be regional host.

Published

9 years ago

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It proved a sixth game in five days was too much for the Cowboys, as they ran out of pitchers and couldn’t get anything at the plate. Here’s what you missed:

OSU Runs Out Of Pitching, Falls In Title Game

Try as hard as they might, the Cowboys just didn’t have enough left in the tank for the championship game against TCU. Freshman Michael Freeman got the start, his first of the year. He pitched five innings – after only pitching 9.1 all season coming into the game – and allowed five runs and four innings, leaving the game with a leg injury in the 6th.

It was the 4th that was rough for the Pokes. Freeman walked three straight hitters before giving up a two-run single. Two passed balls would bring in two more runs, and that was all TCU needed. Horned Frogs pitcher Tyler Alexander threw a complete game, giving up a run and four hits.

Alex Hackerott came in after Freeman and pitched two scoreless innings. Outfielder Corey Hassel came in to pitch the final inning, making his first pitching appearance for OSU. He gave up a run but at that point it didn’t matter. TCU won 7-1, earning its first Big 12 title since joining the conference.

I’m not sure what the pitching strategy was, to be honest. I saw a few people say Holliday was resting his top starters for the Regional, but it doesn’t start until Friday. The title game loss probably cost the Cowboys a chance at a national seed, though they can still host a Super Regional (more on that in the days to come).

Case, TK and Walton made the All-Tournament Team.

Some cool photos from the game.

Pokes Announced As Regional Host

After the game, OSU was announced as one of the 16 Regional Hosts, along with conference member TCU. It’s the first Regional in Stillwater since 2008, when the Pokes finished second. The last Regional win came in 1993, so to say the Cowboys are due for another one is an understatement.

The entire 64-team bracket will be announced Monday at 11 a.m. on ESPNU, and PFB will have an in-depth breakdown of the Stillwater Regional leading up to Friday’s first game.

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