Oklahoma State baseball falls to Oral Roberts in NCAA Tournament opener

STILLWATER — Zach Ehrhard hustled through first base as if he was beating a throw, only to turn around and realize a throw out wasn’t needed.

After the Cowboys had finally broken through and scored in the fifth inning, Ehrhard tried to get the sixth off to a good start with a bunt. The OSU first baseman and leadoff hitter bunts often, but this one went straight up and into the glove of ORU pitcher Caleb Isaacs.

Ehrhard got to the dugout and squeezed his helmet in frustration. That’s how much of Friday night went for the OSU offense, which never consistently clicked in a 6-4 loss to Oral Roberts in the Cowboys’ first game of the NCAA Stillwater Regional. The Cowboys face elimination at 2 p.m. Saturday against Dallas Baptist.

“Guys were ready, we just didn’t get the base hit we needed in those early innings with a lot of guys on base,” OSU coach Josh Holliday said.

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The Golden Eagles (47-11) started the scoring off in the third, with an RBI single from Justin Quinn, then OSU pitcher Nolan McLean walked Mac McCroskey with the bases loaded.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys entered an hour-long weather delay in the bottom of the third with two outs and two on base. After resuming play, third baseman Tyler Wulfert loaded the bases, but designated hitter Colin Brueggemann grounded out.

Through four innings, OSU outhit ORU 6-4 but couldn’t bring any of those hits home and faced a two-run deficit. The Cowboys (41-19) stranded at least two base runners in each of those innings – seven total – including five in scoring position. Plenty of opportunities, but nothing to show for.

ORU opened the fifth inning with a double from Quinn. Then, a five-pitch walk. Next, McLean hit Matt Hogan with a pitch. McLean was pulled after five innings with five runs allowed and four walks, and Isaac Stebens entered in a bases-loaded, no-outs situation. The Golden Eagles tacked on three runs with two RBI singles and an RBI walk for a 5-0 lead.

“(A bases-loaded situation) doesn’t really apply any extra pressure to me since I have done it several times,” Stebens said. “But today, I didn’t execute pitches as well as I have in the past… I’m not very happy with how that turned out.”

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The Cowboy offense finally sparked in the fifth with a Nolan Schubart single and Tyler Wulfert walk. First baseman David Mendham hit a two-RBI single to right field to close the gap to three and finally bring runners home.

The OSU crowd, which had been silent much of the night, got to its feet for the first time.

“I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit and not think too much, and then hit the ball hard,” Mendham said. “I got a good pitch to hit, and I hit it.”

McCroskey added another ORU run in the top of the sixth, but OSU had still woken up its offense. After Ehrhard’s bunt, Roc Riggio grounded out, and Carson Benge struck out looking. Quickly, that momentum shifted, as the Cowboys went three and out in nine pitches in the bottom of the inning.

But Stebens kept the Cowboys close. He allowed just three hits and a walk in scoreless seventh and eighth innings.

“He gave us a chance,” Holliday said. “He gave us a shot there late to do something special. So, he did exactly what we needed him to – give us a chance to hang in there and do something special at the end.”

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Pinch hitter Aidan Meola, who hit a walk-off home run against Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament last week, tried to rally the Cowboys again with a solo home run in the eighth. Ehrhard joined in with his third homer of the season.

Stebens gave OSU another scoreless inning in the ninth and a chance at one more shot, but the offense fell flat again with a pair of strikeouts.

The Cowboys lost the first game of the Big 12 Tournament and fought back to the title game, and now they’ll need to do it again to get out of the regional.

“You tap into what you’ve learned throughout the season, and you rely on your toughness and your depth, and you just keep on going,” Holliday said.

NCAA Stillwater Regional

Friday's scores

● Washington 9, Dallas Baptist 5

● Oral Roberts 6, Oklahoma State 4

Saturday's games

● Oklahoma State vs. Dallas Baptist, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)

● Oral Roberts vs. Washington, 8 p.m. (ESPN+)

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State baseball falls to Oral Roberts in NCAA regional opener