Cowboys Drop Series Finale At Kansas

Saturday, April 15

Lawrence, KS

1:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

20-15, 4-8

Kansas

17-18, 6-6

Oklahoma State

Kansas

April 15, 2017 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Oklahoma State suffered a series loss to Kansas Saturday as the Cowboys dropped the finale by a 4-2 margin at Hoglund Ballpark.

With the loss, OSU fell to 20-15 overall and 4-8 in Big 12 Conference play. The Cowboys have not won a series in Lawrence since 2007 (five consecutive series).

The Cowboys struck out 18 times in the loss and recorded seven hits. Ryan Sluder led OSU with two hits, while Colin Simpson smashed his seventh home run of the season.

Cole Hearrean took the loss on the mound. The junior southpaw made his team-high 16^th appearance, but Saturday's start marked the first of his career and he allowed three runs on six hits in three innings of work.

OSU took the game's initial lead in its first at bat, plating an unearned run on an RBI by Garrett Benge as Ryan Cash scored to put the Pokes up 1-0.

KU (17-18, 6-6) would tie the game in the bottom of the first, however, and go on to score runs in each of the next two innings to take and extend a lead.

The Cowboys could not get much going offensively against KU starter Jackson Goddard as the right-hander struck out a career-high 13 in six innings of work and allowed only one earned run on five hits to improve to 3-2.

Trailing 3-1 after five innings, OSU cut its deficit to one when Simpson led off the sixth with an opposite-field homer to left field.

But that was as close as the Cowboys would get as KU tallied an insurance run in the seventh to extend its lead back to two at 4-2.

OSU brought the tying run to the plate twice in the ninth inning after a one-out single by Jon Littell, but KU closer Stephen Villines struck out the next two Cowboys to seal the win and collect his 10^th save.

OSU returns to midweek action Tuesday when the Cowboys host Oral Roberts at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.