OSU Baseball: Cowboys Beat Baylor 15-8, Secure Series Win

STILLWATER — The Bears got Roc’d.

Oklahoma State beat Baylor 15-8 on Saturday night in O’Brate Stadium off a big night from star sophomore Roc Riggio. One of the more entertaining players in college baseball, Riggio went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored.

Riggio hit his eighth home run of the season Saturday to take a team lead — not something you’d expect upon initially seeing the 5-foot-9 second baseman.

“He has elite bat speed,” OSU coach Josh Holliday said of Riggio. “Bat speed is something that can be measured now. Used to, you could see it with your eyes. Now it’s measurable. He has elite bat speed. He also has an elite swing plane. The bat comes through the zone in ideal positions. So despite him not being overly tall. His bat moves fast and it moves correctly.”

The game started as a duel of solo home runs. Riggio started it in the bottom of the first with a shot to right. Baylor’s Cortlan Castle answered with a shot to left in the top of the second. Then on back-to-back pitches in the bottom of the second true freshman Nolan Schubart went to right-center and redshirt freshman Carson Benge went to left-center.

The solo shot showdown ended later in the second when Tyler Wulfert scored on a passed ball and Marcus Brown scored on an errant pickoff attempt. Riggio ended a five-run second inning with an RBI single to right that scored a speedy Brennan Holt to give OSU a 6-1 lead.

Riggio’s hot night continued in the fourth, where the Cowboys scored seven runs. Riggio doubled to right-center to score Brown and Holt. That Riggio hit was a part of a two-out rally that also saw Schubart hit a bases-loaded single to score a pair, and Benge hit his second home run of the night to score three more.

Benge now has four home runs this season after missing last year with an injury. He had five RBIs on Saturday and is up to 20 on the season.

OSU’s team home run race is tight. The Cowboys entered the weekend with a six-home run lead over Texas Tech atop the Big 12.

Oklahoma transfer Ben Abram started on the bump for the Pokes and played well. With these teams going into extras Friday night, it was paramount that Abram went deep into a start to try to save arms. He pitched six and 1/3 innings, allowing four runs off eight hits while walking two and striking out 10. Every run Abram gave up was via home run. He is 4-0 on the season.

“[My outing] was definitely good in some spots,” Abram said. “I think more innings were good than bad. I think the first inning kind of got out of control. And then when I went out in the seventh, I could kind of tell that fatigue set in a little bit and started giving some pitches up. But at the end of the day, I made pitches when I absolutely had to and kept them off the board for the most part. I wouldn’t say it’s my best outing, for sure, but I’d definitely take it and day of the week.”

Evan O’Toole came on in relief, giving up four runs on five hits before making way for Drew Blake in the ninth. A redshirt freshman from Stillwater, Blake allowed two base runners in his one inning of work, but he got the three outs he needed to secure the win.

OSU moves to 19-5 on the season and 3-2 in Big 12 play. The Cowboys have an opportunity for a Big 12 series sweep at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Josh Holliday’s Postgame News Conference