Simpson, Cowboys Power Past West Virginia

Thursday, May 25

Oklahoma City, Okla.

4:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

28-25

West Virginia

33-23

Oklahoma State

West Virginia

Colin Simpson

May 25, 2017 | Cowboy Baseball

Box Score

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Highlights

Postgame Press Conference

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma State won its fourth consecutive game Thursday night at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark as the Cowboys remained in the winner's bracket of the Big 12 Baseball Championship with an 8-4 win over West Virginia.

With the victory, the Cowboys improved to 28-25 on the season and will now play Saturday needing one win to advance to Sunday's tourney title game. OSU will face Friday's Texas Tech-West Virginia winner Saturday at 9 a.m. with that team needing to beat the Pokes twice to knock them out of the tournament.

Colin Simpson was the hero for the Cowboys Thursday as the sophomore catcher went 4-for-5 at the plate and blasted a pair of home runs and a double en route to a career-high five RBIs. Dustin Williams and Ryan Sluder also had two hits and an RBI each for OSU.

Tyler Buffett picked up the win on the mound to improve to 6-5 on the season as the senior right-hander tossed 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs and scattering 12 hits while striking out three.

The trio of Cole Hearrean, Jake Cowan and Carson Teel kept WVU (33-23) off the scoreboard over the final 3 2/3 innings to seal the win, with Teel working the final two frames and striking out three.

The Cowboys wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, taking a lead in their first at bat when Simpson crushed a two-run home run to right-center field with two outs. The blast was Simpson's team-leading 10^th of the season.

OSU extended its lead in the fourth, loading the bases with one out on two walks and a hit-by-pitch before Ryan Cash collected an RBI on a fielder's choice to give the Cowboys a 3-0 advantage.

The Mountaineers answered the run in the bottom of the inning when Braden Zarbnisky, who led off the frame with a single, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout, scored on an RBI by Brandon White.

But the Cowboys would extend their lead again in their next at bat as they rallied for a pair of runs on four hits in the fifth. Simpson got things going with a leadoff double, and an RBI single by Williams put OSU up 4-1. Two batters later, Sluder brought home a run with a single of his own to give the Pokes a four-run advantage.

WVU trimmed its deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth, but once again, the Cowboys would hang a crooked number on the scoreboard in their next at bat.

And it was Simpson providing the big blow again as he blasted a three-run shot over the wall in center field to give OSU an 8-2 lead.

WVU would mount its final threat in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on the corners and one out, Darius Hill delivered an RBI single up the middle to end Buffett's night. But Hearrean came on and recorded consecutive fly outs, the first resulting in a sacrifice fly to make the score 8-4, to end the inning.