A Look At The Disappointing End To OSU’s CWS Run

With a second consecutive loss to Arizona, Oklahoma State has been eliminated from the College World Series. The loss ends the Cowboys miracle run a little bit short with the championship series being within reach.

Not to take any credit away from Josh Holliday and Co. after an incredible season, but it’s hard to not view this loss as a disappointment. The decision to start Jensen Elliott over Thomas Hatch in the first game against Arizona is one that could haunt Holliday for a while.

With an offense that hits just .263 collectively, there was not much margin for error with the pitching staff. Hatch did not have his “A” stuff from the start and with the aggressiveness of Arizona he could never get his feet under him. Holliday went with the quick hook in a winner-take-all game, pulling Hatch in the third inning.

Before today, Thomas Hatch’s shortest outing of the season was four innings. He’s out of the game after two innings today. #CWS

— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 25, 2016

The Arizona hitters were able to get their bats under Hatch’s sinker and hit the ball in the air, which tells me it wasn’t moving sharply. Hatch was tagged for four runs total and recorded just six outs, bringing his scoreless innings to end after 26 2/3. It’s unfortunate that Hatch’s run had to end like this, but he will still go down as one the best postseason pitchers in OSU history.

The Cowboys bats were once again stymied by Arizona closer-turned-starter Bobby Dalbec who has limited them to just two runs in 15 innings over two starts. While the back-to-back 1-0 wins were incredible they might have also been a warning sign of what was to come with the offense.

Dalbec effectively worked away from the OSU hitters with his fastball to induce weak contact and then put them away with a devastating slider. Once the Wildcats jumped out 4-0 early, OSU was knocked back on its heels and couldn’t respond offensively.

While I thought OSU played perfectly for TD Ameritrade Stadium. I was wrong, Arizona plaed it perfectly. Head coach Jay Johnson deserves a ton of credit for embracing the “West Coast” style of baseball, taking pitching and defense to a new level with his base-hit-stealing shifts.

Very impressive presser w/ Josh Holliday & @OSUBaseball players..First class all the way, great run for a historic #CollegeBaseball program

— Mike Rooney (@Mike_Rooney) June 25, 2016

I challenged this talented senior class to carve a legacy for themselves this postseason, and after under-achieving in the regular season, they did just that. The ending wasn’t fun, but this miracle Omaha run and this team will not be soon forgotten.