Cowboys Finish Frisco with Win Over Aggies

Oklahoma State had a tough weekend at the Frisco College Baseball Classic hitting the ball hard but losing to UCLA and Illinois before things fell together against Texas A&M.

FRISCO, Texas -- Oklahoma State had a long weekend, but by the end of a long game on Sunday the Cowboys enjoyed their last game in the Frisco College Baseball Classic and spoiled the weekend completely for former Big 12 rival and now SEC member Texas A&M in front of a large crowd that was about 80 percent Aggies fans. The Cowboys moved to 8-4 on the season with an 8-to-3 win over Texas A&M. 

Oklahoma State tallied three runs in the top of the ninth to win the game and break a 5-5 deadlock. Kaden Polcovich, playing third base for the injured or resting Jake Thompson walked to start the inning. Carson McCusker, who had a good weekend in Frisco doubled to left-center field and that scored Polcovich. McCusker was 2-for-4 in the game, scored three runs and this was one of his two RBI. 

First baseman Alix Garcia singled down the right field line and that allowed McCusker to score and make it 7-5. Aggies head coach Rob Childress was a busy man as he changed pitchers twice in the frame. His first move to Joseph Menefee resulted in a strike out, but the damage was already done as Bryce Miller, who started the inning, took the loss for A&M, who came to Frisco 10-0 and left 10-3 losing each day.

Cade Cabbiness and pinch-hitter Josh Spiegel both singled with two outs and then on a wild pitch, Garcia came into score to make it 8-3. Cabbiness and Spiegel moved up, but after Hueston Morrill walked to reload the bases, Caeden Trenkle struck out to end the inning.  

Closer Ben Leeper, who had not been needed so far during the weekend, came on in the eighth inning and then in the ninth got the Aggies in order, his most calm save so far this season and Oklahoma State went to the bus happy and ready to ride home to Stillwater. 

The Cowboys took the lead in the top of the first when Morrill scored on a Polcovich double, but the lead was not for long.

Texas A&M scored four runs in the bottom of the second off of Cowboys starter Bryce Osmond. It was a messy inning that really wasn't much of Osmond's doing. There was a wild pitch that moved all the runners up, but a throwing error cost the Cowboys big as they trailed 4-1.

A&M helped out by getting a little sloppy themselves in a three run third for the Pokes that ran Aggies starter Chandler Jozwiak off the hill. There was an RBI double by McCusker in the inning and a single by catcher Brock Mathis that drove in a pair of runs to tie the score at 4-4. Mathis alerted several folks the night before that the Cowboys scheduled a team meeting in the hotel Saturday night that wasn't pretty, but got the team's compass realigned for Sunday's game with Texas A&M. 

Oklahoma State had the lead 5-4 after scoring a run in the fifth. The Aggies tied the score in the seventh.

That set up the glorious ninth inning to win the game in the clutch. Oklahoma State's Ben Leeper got the win, not the save in this one. The Cowboys scored their eight runs on 14 hits, with Polcovich, McCusker, Garcia, and Cabbiness all with two hits each on the afternoon.  

Down in Houston at another tournament, three Big 12 teams were feasting on SEC adversaries including LSU. Oklahoma, Baylor, and Texas all had success in Houston until Texas lost to Missouri today. 

The Cowboys have work to do but can hold their heads up high as they will prepare to start a nine-game homestand on Tuesday at 4 p.m. with Missouri State.