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Oklahoma State Baseball: Jensen Elliott has a huge night for the Cowboys

By Andrew Miller

Jun 24, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys pitcher Jensen Elliott (34 throws against the Arizona Wildcats in the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys pitcher Jensen Elliott (34 throws against the Arizona Wildcats in the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Starting pitcher Jensen Elliott pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings on his way to leading the Oklahoma State baseball team to their first win of the season.

The Oklahoma State baseball team faced Grand Canyon University in the second game of a three-game series tonight in Phoenix, AZ. The first game of the series ended in a 6-1 defeat for the Pokes. Preseason All-American Tyler Buffett gave up five earned runs and did not have the season debut he had hoped for.

However, the story was vastly different for pitcher Jensen Elliott tonight. The offense also provided much more support than they did in the first game of the series. OK State’s lineup only managed four hits and one run yesterday against the Lopes. The Cowboys earned a 6-5 nailbiting victory over GCU to get their first win of the 2017 season.

Elliott pitched nearly seven shutout innings to give the Pokes a huge boost. Reliever Parker Scott also gave the Cowboys one scoreless inning on the mound. However, reliever Jonathan Heasley had a rough outing in his first time on the mound for the Pokes. He gave up two earned runs on four hits in only 2/3 innings. Blake Battenfield got the save when he sealed the victory in 1 1/3 innings pitched with one earned run.

Two costly errors almost lost the game for the Cowboys. They let the Lopes back into the game after owning a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. GCU scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth and added another in the ninth inning but fell one short of tying the game.

Outfielder Ryan Sluder and second baseman Andrew Rosa each notched two runs batted in while third baseman, Garrett Benge, and catcher Travis Wacker knocked in the other two runs. Yet, Rosa and outfielder Jon Littell got the two errors for the Cowboys.

OK State fans held their breath at the end of the game as the Cowboys almost lost their second game in a row to start the season. However, the Pokes are now hopefully on the right track to finish out their four-game road stand to start the season off well.

Up next for the Cowboys is the third game in their series with GCU. First pitch is at 2 p.m. CT at Brazella Stadium in Phoenix. Carson Teel is on the mound to start for the Pokes.

Next: Marcus Smart witnesses Bedlam victory

You can view the entire 2017 OK State baseball schedule here. You can view the entire box score for tonight’s game here.

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