Cowboys Drop Series At Kansas

Sunday, April 12

Lawrence, Kan.

1:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

24-11, 0

Kansas

15-21, 0

Oklahoma State

Kansas

April 12, 2015 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

April 12, 2015

Box Score

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Oklahoma State had its program-record streak of Big 12 Conference series wins snapped Sunday as Kansas knocked off the ninth-ranked Cowboys, 4-2, at Hoglund Ballpark.

For the Cowboys, the series setback marks the first time since its 2014 series opener at Baylor that they have lost a conference series, a streak that spanned 10-straight series.

OSU is now 24-11 overall and tied with Oklahoma atop the Big 12 standings with an 8-4 league mark.

Similar to its loss to the Jayhawks on Saturday, OSU couldn't deliver the big hit with runners on as the Cowboys left eight runners stranded on the bases. The lone runs for head coach Josh Holliday's club came from a pair of solo home runs by Bryan Case.

"We didn't do the things in certain moments that you would have liked that could have made a difference," Holliday said. "Give Kansas credit - they pitched good all weekend long. It's frustrating, but in the end we had our chances and didn't put together enough key moments to turn the board.

"Just too many empty at-bats inside of nine innings to mount a serious rally, and as a result, we end up on the wrong side of the board. We have to pack up our stuff, get ourselves collected, get our minds right and get ready for a challenging week that lies ahead."

OSU would take the initial lead in Sunday's finale when Case led off the second inning with a blast over the wall in left field.

In the third, the Cowboys appeared poised to extend their lead as they put runners on the corners with one out following a single by Donnie Walton. Up next, Corey Hassel laid down a bunt that would have scored David Petrino from third base, but Hassel was called out for interference with the umpire ruling that he ran inside the first-base line.

With the runners not allowed to advance on the play, the run was erased, and a groundout by Gage Green ended the inning with the Cowboys still leading 1-0.

"After that call went against us on the bunt, we didn't really put back the offensive charge that I thought we were building," Holliday said. "It would have been a two-run game there with a rally brewing - as it stood, the run came off the board with two outs, and we did not respond from that."

After retiring the first nine KU hitters in order over the first three innings, OSU's Tyler Nurdin got into trouble in the fourth, surrendering a single and two walks to load the bases. That brought up Blair Beck, who delivered a two-RBI double to right-center field to put the Jayhawks up 2-1 and end Nurdin's day on the mound.

OSU left two runners stranded in both the sixth and seventh innings while the Jayhawks added to their lead in each of those frames, getting a solo home run from Dakota Smith in the sixth and an RBI single by Michael Tinsley in the seventh to push their lead to 4-1.

The Cowboys cut their deficit in half in the eighth on Case's second round tripper of the day, another solo blast to left field that gave him his first multi-homer game in an OSU uniform.

In the ninth, OSU twice brought the tying run to the plate after Dustin Williams singled to open the inning. But KU closer Stephen Villines struck out Kevin Bradley before getting pinch hitter Mason O'Brien to ground into a game-ending double play to earn his ninth save of the year.

Williams, Case and Walton finished with two hits apiece to lead OSU, which outhit KU by a 9-7 margin.

OSU returns to action Tuesday night when the Cowboys open a five-game homestand at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium against Oral Roberts.