STILLWATER, Okla. — In a series that had everything from early-game dominance to late-inning heroics, the Cowboys were able to finish off a dramatic three-game sweep of the TCU Horned Frogs this weekend inside O’Brate Stadium. The weekend started with a Kollin Ritchie walk-off home run, and ended with an unforgettable Game 3 comeback that Coach Holliday told his team is one of the best wins in his tenure.
Oklahoma State improved to 31-17 overall and 14-10 in Big 12 play, and continues its climb in the conference standings, while TCU dropped to 29-18 overall and 13-11 in league play. The Cowboys have now won four straight Big 12 games and are trending upward at the most critical point of the season.
GAME 1: WALK-OFF MAGIC IGNITES THE SERIES
Friday night’s opener set the tone for the entire weekend, as Oklahoma State erased a late deficit and walked off TCU 7-6 in dramatic fashion.
The Cowboys struck first in the opening inning when Aidan Meola delivered a two-run double to right-center, scoring Brock Thompson and Kollin Ritchie for a 2-0 lead. Ritchie added to that cushion in the third inning, launching his 23rd home run of the season to make it 3-0.
Over his last 10 games, Aidan Meola has 6 multi-hit games, and he was 7-13 this weekend with 2 long balls and 8 RBIs. Kollin Ritchie was 8 for 9 this weekend, and hit 4 home runs, had 2 doubles, and 4 RBIs. He also walked 6 times as well. Over his last 6 games, Ritchie is 14-for-22 (.636) with 11 runs scored, 10 RBIs, 4 HR, and 3 doubles, and he’s now up to .335 on the season.
Back to Game 1:
The game flipped in the middle innings.
TCU’s offense erupted in the fourth and fifth innings, beginning with a two-run homer from Chase Brunson in the fourth. The Horned Frogs then unloaded in the fifth inning, scoring four runs on back-to-back blasts, including a three-run shot from Nolan Traeger and a solo homer from Brady Dallimore. When the dust cleared the Frogs had taken a commanding 6-3 lead.
Oklahoma State responded immediately. Danny Wallace crushed a solo homer to spark the fifth inning rally, and Meola later reached on an infield single that brought home Ritchie on a throwing error, trimming the deficit to 6-5.
Ritchie took over from there.
He tied the game in the seventh inning with his second home run of the night, a towering shot to left-center. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, with the game tied and the crowd on edge, Ritchie delivered again by blasting a walk-off home run (25th of the season) to right field to complete a thrilling comeback.
Ritchie finished 4-for-4 with three home runs, three RBIs, and five runs scored, raising his season total to 25 home runs and solidifying himself as one of the most dangerous hitters in college baseball.
Meola added a 2-for-3, 2 RBI performance, while Wallace chipped in a home run.
On the mound, starter Ethan Lund battled through 4.2 innings, allowing 5 runs on 5 hits with 10 strikeouts, but struggled with command, issuing five walks. The bullpen stabilized the game, highlighted by Hudson Barrett, who tossed 1.2 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts to earn the win and shut down TCU late.
GAME 2: LATE INNING SURGE SEALS THE SERIES
Saturday’s contest followed a different script, but the result was the same, which was an Oklahoma State victory, this time 9-2, fueled by dominant pitching and a late offensive explosion.
The game remained scoreless until the sixth inning when TCU struck first on a two-run double from Chase Brunson. But Oklahoma State responded immediately with two sacrifice flies from Campbell Smithwick and Avery Ortiz to tie the game at 2-2.
From there, the Cowboys took complete control.
In the seventh inning, OSU capitalized on a wild pitch and a clutch two-run double from Meola to take a 5-2 lead, then the Cowboys broke the game open in the 8th inning when Avery Ortiz hit his first home run of the season, followed by a two-run blast from Garrett Shull (12th HR) and an RBI double from Thompson to extend the lead to 9-2.
Meola led the offense again, going 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs, while Thompson added 2 hits and an RBI, and Shull and Ortiz both homered.
On the mound, Stormy Rhodes delivered a strong start, going 5.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits with 6 strikeouts. The bullpen was dominant, particularly Mario Pesca, who earned the win with 3.1 innings of one-hit shutout baseball and 6 strikeouts, showcasing elite swing-and-miss stuff.
GAME 3: A COMEBACK, AND A STATEMENT
Sunday’s finale was one of the most chaotic and electrifying games of the college baseball season, as Oklahoma State rallied from an early seven-run deficit to defeat TCU 11-10.
The game began with immediate fireworks.
Alex Conover led off the bottom of the first with a home run to give OSU a 1-0 lead. But everything unraveled in the second inning.
TCU exploded for seven runs in the second inning, fueled by four home runs, including two-run shots from Rob Liddington Jr. and Chase Brunson, plus solo blasts from Brady Dallimore and a key RBI single from Cole Cramer. The Horned Frogs added another homer in the third inning from Jack Arthur to push the lead to 8-1, and later extended it to 9-3.
At that point, the Cowboys were staring at a blowout.
Instead, they delivered one of the most impressive comebacks of the season.
The Pokes started rallying in the third inning when Aidan Meola crushed a two-run homer (13th of the year). In the fourth inning, Oklahoma State chipped away with three runs on RBI hits from Thompson, Ritchie, and Meola, cutting the deficit to 9-6.
Then came the defining sixth inning when the Cowboys went Back to Back to Back!
Kollin Ritchie blasted a two-run homer (his 26th of the season) to bring OSU within one. Moments later, Meola tied the game with a solo shot (14th HR), and Smithwick followed with another home run to give the Cowboys a stunning 10-9 lead.
The offense wasn’t done.
In the eighth inning, Ortiz drove in an insurance run on a fielder’s choice to make it 11-9, and, while TCU threatened in the ninth, scoring once on an RBI double, the rally fell short, and the comeback and the sweep were complete.
Meola delivered a monster performance, going 3-for-5 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs, raising his season home run total to 14. Ritchie added 3 hits, 3 RBIs, and his 26th home run, continuing his historic weekend. Thompson reached base multiple times and scored three runs, while Conover set the tone early with his leadoff homer.
PITCHING ANALYSIS: SURVIVAL AND DEPTH
Game 3 was particularly revealing for Oklahoma State’s pitching staff.
Starter Brennan Phillips struggled, allowing 7 runs on 7 hits in just 1.2 innings, putting OSU in an immediate hole. Kai Fyke followed by allowing 2 more runs, and, at that point, it just looked like it wasn’t OSU’s day.
But then Zane Burns flipped that script, throwing up 3 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, and stabilizing the game when it mattered most. His performance (3-1 on the season) was arguably the turning point.
Jake Kennedy and Drew Blake bridged the gap before Noah Wech closed the door, earning his 6th save with 2 innings, allowing 1 unearned run while striking out 2.
Across the series, Oklahoma State’s bullpen consistently stepped up in high-leverage moments, which is a trend that has defined their recent success.
OFFENSIVE TRENDS: POWER SURGE AND CLUTCH HITTING
Oklahoma State’s offense is peaking at the right time.
The Cowboys hit multiple home runs in all three games, highlighted by Ritchie’s four-homer weekend and Meola’s breakout Game 3 performance. The lineup showed both power and situational hitting, with timely RBIs, sacrifice flies, and the ability to capitalize on opponent mistakes.
Ritchie, now sitting at 26 home runs, is one of the hottest hitters in the country, while Meola’s emergence adds a dangerous secondary power bat.
The Cowboys have also shown resilience, repeatedly responding to deficits and delivering late-inning offense, which is a critical trait for postseason success.
WHAT’S NEXT
Oklahoma State will look to carry this momentum forward as they continue Big 12 play, with their next matchup coming next weekend when they travel to Arizona to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils. There is no midweek game due to finals. The Pokes are aiming to build on their 31-17 (14-10 Big 12) record and push further up the conference standings.
With an offense firing on all cylinders and a pitching staff that is being pieced together, the Cowboys are emerging as one of the most dangerous teams in the conference heading into the final stretch of the season.
