Cowboys Walked Off Again

Sunday, February 28

Chapel Hill, N.C.

11:00:00 AM

Oklahoma State University

2-5

North Carolina

5-1

Oklahoma State

North Carolina

Donnie Walton

February 28, 2016 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Oklahoma State was the victim of a walk-off hit for the fourth consecutive game Sunday as 10^th-ranked North Carolina completed a three-game sweep of the No. 11 Cowboys with a 4-3 victory at Boshamer Stadium.

Eli Sutherland's two-RBI single with one out in the bottom of the ninth lifted UNC to the win as the Tar Heels improved to 5-1. The Cowboys suffered their fifth one-run loss of the year and fell to 2-5.

OSU did not trail for 8 ½ innings on Sunday. Donnie Walton jump started a big day at the plate in the first inning when he blasted his first home run of the year, a two-run shot to right-center field to put the Cowboys up 2-0.

The Tar Heels tallied runs in the first and third innings against OSU starter Jensen Elliott, both times on two-out RBI doubles.

With the game tied 2-2 in the fifth, the Cowboys went back on top when Walton doubled and Dustin Williams brought him home with a single, his sixth RBI of the series.

OSU held that lead over the next three innings as Tyler Buffett came out of the bullpen and baffled the UNC hitters. The junior right-hander retired the first nine batters he faced, and the Cowboys took the one-run lead into the ninth.

In the decisive frame, Buffett issued a leadoff walk to Tyler Lynn, which brought Trey Cobb out of the OSU bullpen. Cobb promptly walked Brandon Riley before a sacrifice bunt by Cody Roberts moved Tar Heels to second and third with one out.

That brought Sutherland to the dish, and after falling behind in the count 0-2, the UNC infielder sent a ball up the middle past a drawn-in OSU infield to bring home the tying and winning runs.

Walton finished the game 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and two runs, while Jon Littell was 2-for-5 for the Cowboys, who outhit the home team by a 9-5 margin.

Cobb suffered the loss on the mound to fall to 0-3.

OSU returns to action Tuesday in its 2016 home opener at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. The Cowboys will host Incarnate Word in the first of a two-game midweek series at 4 p.m.