Cowboys Knock Off No. 20 Arkansas

Sunday, March 5

Frisco, TX

3:30 PM

Oklahoma State University

6-5

Arkansas

8-3

Oklahoma State

Arkansas

Garrett McCain

March 05, 2017 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

Interviews with Josh Holliday & Garrett McCain

Game Highlights (courtesy of Cox Sports Television)

FRISCO, Texas – Oklahoma State concluded play at the Frisco College Baseball Classic Sunday with an 8-3 win over 20^th-ranked Arkansas at Dr Pepper Ballpark.

The win secured a second-place tourney finish for the 14^th-ranked Cowboys, who won two of their three games in Frisco and improved to 6-5 on the season. Arizona also went 2-1 at the tournament but was declared the winner by virtue of beating OSU head-to-head.

Jensen Elliott picked up the win on the mound Sunday to improve to 2-1, while Jake Cowan recorded his first-career save with three shutout innings.

Offensively, Garrett McCain and Colin Simpson led the attack, with each collecting three hits and an RBI. McCain was one of three Cowboys, along with Jacob Chappell and Tyler Buffett, named to the Frisco Classic All-Tournament Team.

OSU jumped out to an early lead in its first at bat. After back-to-back singles by McCain and Garrett Benge, a walk to Simpson loaded the bases. Andrew Rosa then picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice, and a throwing error allowed a second run to score as the Cowboys took a 2-0 lead.

Arkansas (8-3) tied the score over the next two innings with a pair of unearned runs, but the third inning saw the Pokes rally to take a lead they would never surrender.

Ryan Cash, who made the first start of his career Sunday, led off the inning with a walk, and a single by McCain put Cowboys on the corners with no outs. Up next, Benge delivered his second hit of the game, an RBI single, and Simpson followed with an RBI single of his own to make the score 4-2. Later in the inning, Bryce Fischer pushed the lead to three when he drove in a run on a fielder's choice.

OSU's lead increased to 6-2 in the sixth on an RBI double by McCain before the Razorbacks trimmed their deficit in half with a run in the bottom of the frame.

To open the seventh, Max Simpson came on in relief of Elliott, who racked up six strikeouts and allowed just one earned run on five hits. But Simpson issued back-to-back walks as the Hogs mounted a rally.

Enter Jake Cowan, who came out of the OSU bullpen and retired three-straight batters to strand a pair of runners in scoring position.

After Cowan worked a perfect eighth inning, OSU added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth. In the first at bat of his collegiate career, freshman pinch hitter Cade Cabbiness smacked an opposite-field RBI triple to left, and Jon Littell followed with a sacrifice fly to provide the final score.

OSU returns to action Tuesday against Missouri State with the first in a 10-game homestand. First pitch against the Bears at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium is scheduled for 4 p.m.