OSU Baseball: Cowboys Drop Series Opener at GCU 12-8

The Cowboys come up short in Phoenix on Thursday, dropping Game 1 to GCU 12-8.

OSU moves to 1-3 on the year with three more games to go in the desert this weekend. GCU improved to 2-2.

It was a tough day to be a Cowboy pitcher. OSU went through five of them and three gave up a three-run inning.

The Antelopes set the tone with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first by Cannon Perry, but the Cowboys evened the score with their own three-run bomb from Aiden Meola in the third.

GCU took back the lead in the fourth after an RBI double by Griffin Cameron and the subsequent throwing error by Brock Thompson sent a runner on third base. That gave next man up, Vince Bianchina, the opportunity for a two-run homer to put the home team back up 6-3.

OSU scored in the fifth on an RBI double by Thompson, but the Lopes score three more in the fifth. In the sixth, OSU traded one run for two more by GCU to make it 11-5.

The Cowboys pulled back within 11-7 in the seventh on a Campbell Smithwick RBI single, and then a wild pitch that sent Meola home. GCU added a run in the eighth.

The Cowboys’ bats were still active in the ninth, but it wasn’t quite enough to get them out of the hole. Kollin Ritchie blasted a solo home run to deep right field to make it 12-8.

Parker Jennings got the start on the mound for the Pokes and lasted just two innings, giving up three runs and striking out two. Bryce LeBlanc took the L, moving to 0-1 after throwing two innings and giving up three runs and recording to Ks. Stormy Rhodes gave up three runs in one inning but struck out three.

There’s still plenty of series to go. Next up, the two teams square off at GCU Field at 7 p.m. Friday. The series will continue with a 3 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and end with a 2 p.m. matchup Sunday.