OSU Baseball: Cowboys Upset South Florida to Begin Postseason

Oklahoma State needed to show some evidence of life in its first postseason action. The Cowboys did that and more as they upended South Florida 9-2 Friday in the opening game of the 2018 DeLand Regional.

OSU began its weekend with a successful start at the plate. The Cowboys totaled 15 hits Friday, which led to runs in four separate innings. Eight different players earned a hit, and six (Trevor Boone, Colin Simpson, Matt Kroon, Andrew Rosa, Jon Littell and Michael Neustifter) had multiple.

The OSU pitchers posted a solid start to the postseason, as well. Reza Aleaziz earned the start on the mound and he was solid, allowing just one run on two hits in three innings. The rest of the day belonged to Carson Teel, who did his best to keep USF from scoring. He was successful, holding the opposition to one run in six innings with a trio of strikeouts.

As the Cowboys have learned the hard way, a lot can change late in games. Josh Holliday’s squad ensured the lead would remain in OSU’s favor, however, scoring four ninth-inning runs to add even more cushion to its lead.

Kroon and Boone’s RBI singles sandwiched an RBI double by Littell, all of which gave the Cowboys a 9-2 lead with three outs remaining.

The Cowboys will face the winner of top-seeded Stetson or Hartford, the fourth seed, at 6 p.m. Saturday. If they win that game, they’ll play Sunday at 6 for a potential championship.

Follow Luke Garza on Twitter @LukeAGarza