Cowboys Drop Season Opener on the Road at Grand Canyon U.

Oklahoma State baseball dropped their season opener on the road at Grand Canyon U. in front of a stellar baseball audience.

(This story originated with Oklahoma State University athletic media relations and was written by Wade McWhorter. Robert Allen of Pokes Report contributed to the story.)

PHOENIX – Oklahoma State opened the 2020 season with a 10-3 loss to Grand Canyon Friday night at GCU Ballpark. Not only were new Oklahoma State assistants Matt Holliday and Robin Ventura baseball royalty on display, but former big leaguers like Luis Gonzalez and Joey Bell were there as well as current Major League All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado and other members of the Colorado Rockies to watch the college baseball opener.

The Cowboys are now 4-4 all time in season openers under head coach Josh Holliday.

Offensively, Kaden Polcovich, Jake Thompson and Max Hewitt combined for OSU’s six hits, with each collecting two apiece. Thompson, Hewitt and Brock Mathis posted RBIs for the Cowboys.

Five different pitchers took the mound for the Cowboys, each of them making their collegiate debuts. Those hurlers, which included four true freshmen, combined for 12 strikeouts, with Kale Davis’ five punchouts leading the way.

Starter Bryce Osmond took the loss as the freshman right-hander allowed five runs, three of them earned, on five hits while striking out four and walking a pair in two innings of work.

For GCU, Kade Mechals, preseason WAC Pitcher of the Year candidate, picked up the win after striking out eight and giving up just one run in five innings, while Drew Smith went 3-for-6 and tallied six RBIs.

OSU got on the scoreboard with a two-out rally in its first at bat. Polcovich got things started with a single, the Cowboys’ first hit of the season, before stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch. Up next, Alix Garcia walked before Thompson delivered an RBI single in his first-ever OSU at-bat to put the Pokes up 1-0.

The lead was short lived, however, as GCU struck for a pair of runs off Osmond in the bottom of the first. The Lopes picked up two hits, including an RBI single by Smith, and plated the go-ahead run on a passed ball before Osmond recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.

GCU added to its lead with a two-out rally of its own in the second, getting three runs to take a 5-1 advantage, before tallying two more runs in the third.

The Cowboys rallied for two runs to cut into their deficit in the sixth. After Carson McCusker led off the inning with a walk, he advanced to second on a wild pitch and came home to score on an RBI double by Hewitt. Two batters later, Mathis picked up his first RBI in an OSU uniform with a sacrifice fly to make the score 7-3.

But that was as close as OSU would get as Smith put the game away with a three-run home run in the eighth to provide the final score.

The two teams return to action Saturday at 3 p.m. (CST). Veteran left-hander Parker Scott is expected to get the start for the Pokes.