Cowboys Drop Wichita State

Tuesday, March 24

Stillwater, Okla.

6:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

17-7

Wichita State

11-13

Wichita State

Oklahoma State

March 24, 2015 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

March 24, 2015

Box Score

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State continued its winning ways Tuesday night at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium with an 8-3 victory over Wichita State.

With the win, the 12th-ranked Cowboys improved to 17-7 on the season, which includes a 9-2 mark on their home field.

Kevin Bradley was 2-for-4 and tied a career high with three RBIs to lead the OSU attack, while Jacob Chappell went 2-for-3 and also equaled a career best with two RBIs.

The Cowboys used five pitchers on the night, with Trey Cobb picking up the win in relief of starter Remey Reed to improve to 2-0 on the season.

"Any time you play well on the weekend it leaves a good energy about your group when they show up for practice on Monday and then roll out here for a midweek game," said OSU head coach Josh Holliday, whose ballclub is coming off a series win at TCU last weekend. "But nothing that happened Sunday counts today -- it's just about your mindset, your outlook and your confidence in yourself.

"The kids did a nice job. Our pitchers threw the ball really well, and it was impressive the way each guy we put out there had really good stuff. The defense was good, and offensively we're putting runs on the board, finding ways to do it and getting contributions from a lot of different players."

Bradley jumpstarted the offense from the seventh spot in the lineup as the Cowboys' third baseman drove in OSU's first three runs to give the home team a lead it never surrendered.

"Kevin (Bradley) did a really good job -- we set the table for him, and he delivered," Holliday said. "The seven-hole is kind of like a second cleanup hitter, and you've got to have someone in the seven that can knock in all the guys that get on base in the 4-5-6. To have a good lineup, the seven needs to be a guy capable of cleaning up the bases, and Kevin has done a good job down there."

In the second inning, a two-out RBI single by Bradley brought home Dustin Williams with the game's first run, and in the fourth, he delivered a two-RBI, opposite-field double to push the lead to 3-0. That hit was part of a four-run frame for the Cowboys, who also got an RBI single from Chappell and an RBI triple from Garrett McCain.

"It's always nice to get off to a good start and take the lead and be able to chip away as the game goes on," Bradley said. "Things are starting to click for us as a team. You always want to start playing your best baseball as you get into conference play, and I think that's what we're doing."

WSU (11-13) wouldn't get on the scoreboard until the seventh when the Shockers cut the OSU lead to 5-2 with a pair of runs off Cowboy southpaw Garrett Williams.

But OSU got those runs right back in the bottom of the inning, scoring its sixth and seventh runs on a throwing error and a wild pitch to take a 7-2 advantage. The Cowboys' final run came in the eighth on Chappell's second RBI single of the contest.

Cobb picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief in which he allowed just one hit and struck out three. Reed worked the first three frames and gave up a pair of hits and had two strikeouts.

OSU returns to Big 12 Conference action Friday when the Cowboys host Kansas State at Reynolds Stadium. Friday's opener is set for a 7 p.m. first pitch.