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Oklahoma State Baseball: Cowboys defeat Arkansas to end Frisco Classic

By Andrew Miller

Jun 18, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys infielder Corey Hassel (28), outfielder Ryan Sluder (8) and outfielder Garrett McCain (3) celebrate after the final out against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Oklahoma State defeated UC Santa Barbara 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys infielder Corey Hassel (28), outfielder Ryan Sluder (8) and outfielder Garrett McCain (3) celebrate after the final out against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos in the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Oklahoma State defeated UC Santa Barbara 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Starting pitcher Jensen Elliott and the Oklahoma State baseball team got back on track in the Frisco College Baseball Classic, going 2-1 last weekend.

The Oklahoma State baseball team finished up their first up their first event/classic/tournament of the 2017 season with yesterday’s 8-3 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks at the Frisco College Baseball Classic. The win put the Cowboys at 2-1 for the weekend with the other victory coming against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Friday and the sole defeat coming against the no. 15 ranked Arizona Wildcats on Saturday.

OK State responded in a big way after a heartbreaking 10-9 defeat against the Wildcats on Saturday. Considering the Wildcats were the team that eliminated the Cowboys from the 2016 College World Series, that defeat could have held them back yesterday. However, the Razorbacks had little response to a strong outing from starting pitcher Jensen Elliott.

Three errors from the Cowboy defense signaled a rough day individually from third baseman Garrett Benge, who finished with two errors. Yet, Benge made up for his defensive performance with his bat. He registered two hits, two runs, and one run batted in, as Benge spearheaded the offense.

Seven different Cowboys finished with an RBI yesterday. However, leaving runners on base is a lingering problem so far this season. OK State left nine runners on base, three more than the Razorbacks left on base.

Elliott claimed the win to move to 2-0 on the season. He pitched six innings with only one earned run and six strikeouts. Errors contributed to two unearned runs for Elliott as well. Elliott has been the most consistently good starter for the Pokes so far.

Sophomore right-hander Max Simpson took over for Elliott in the seventh inning. Walking two batters without registering a single out caused pitching coach Rob Walton to pull Simpson after zero innings of work.

Junior pitcher Jake Cowan continued his dominance on the mound as he now as 9 1/3 shutout innings of work in four appearances. Cowan notched his first save of the season as he pitched three shutout, allowing zero hits, to close out the game.

With a record of 2-1 on the weekend, the Cowboys finished second behind only the Wildcats in the Frisco Classic. That’s an important step after the tough home loss against the Saint Louis Billikens prior to their three games in Frisco.

Head coach Josh Holliday and the Cowboys return home tomorrow to face the Missouri State Bears at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. First pitch is at 4 p.m. CT in Stillwater. The Cowboys enter with a record of 6-5 on the season and 2-2 at home. Meanwhile, the Bears enter with an impressive record of 10-1 on the season. OK State needs to avoid a repeat of the performance against SLU.

In the meantime, it’s nice to see the Cowboys dominate a top 20 team in the Razorbacks. A win over a brand name school like Nebraska isn’t too shabby either.

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You can view the entire 2017 OK State baseball schedule here. You can view the entire box score from yesterday’s win over the Arkansas Razorbacks here. And, you can watch tomorrow’s contest with the Missouri State Bears live on YouTube through the Oklahoma State Athletics channel here.

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