OSU baseball bows out 0-2 in own regional

STILLWATER —Oklahoma State’s season came to an end Saturday at the NCAA Stillwater Regional with an 18-4 loss to second-seeded Dallas Baptist at O’Brate Stadium.

The top-seeded and 12th-ranked Cowboys close their season with a 41-20 record. It marks only the third time in program history OSU did not win a game in an NCAA Tournament in which it appeared (2011 and 1969).

Juaron Watts-Brown took the loss on the mound, working 4 1/3 innings and striking out seven while allowing eight runs, to fall to 6-5. The right-hander racked up 124 strikeouts on the year, the 10th most in a season in program history.

Nolan Schubart and Roc Riggio both homered for the Cowboys; Riggio finished the year with a team-high 18 round trippers, while Schubart smashed 17 in his first collegiate season.

Schubart’s home run in the second inning gave the Cowboys a 1-0 lead, but three DBU home runs in the top half of the fourth put the Patriots in front, 4-1.

The Patriots (46-15) finished with six home runs in the contest, three of those by Miguel Santos. They tacked on six runs on seven hits in the fifth inning before adding four more in the sixth to take a 14-1 lead.

OSU added two runs in the seventh inning behind RBI singles from Chase Adkison and David Mendham RBI singles, with the Pokes’ final run coming on Riggio’s homer in the eighth.

Oklahoma State dropped into the loser’s bracket after falling behind early and dropping a 6-4 setback to No. 4-seed Oral Roberts Friday night at O’Brate Stadium.

Nolan McLean made his third start of the season for the Cowboys, working four innings and striking out three while allowing five runs, as the right-hander fell to 1-2.

Isaac Stebens provided crucial relief out of the bullpen, pitching four innings and surrendering seven hits but just one run while striking out five.

The Cowboys brought the tying run to the plate three times following a leadoff walk in the ninth, but he was stranded at second base as OSU left 11 runners on base in the contest.

Zach Ehrhard and Carson Benge both went 2-for-4 to lead the Cowboys offensively, while David Mendham drove in a pair of runs.

ORU jumped out to an early two-run lead after three hits in the third inning, but McLean’s strike out left the bases loaded as he escaped further damage.

The Eagles added three runs in the fifth on two RBI singles and a bases-loaded walk to extend their lead to 5-0.

The Cowboys responded in the bottom half of the inning, scratching across two runs on Mendham’s two-out, two-RBI single to cut their deficit to three.