Oklahoma State Explodes for 12 Runs, Powers Past Oral Roberts Behind Avery Ortiz’s Career Night
TULSA, Okla. — The Cowboys continued their late-season offensive surge Tuesday night, overcoming another midgame deficit with a 6-run explosion in the 6th inning to defeat ORU 12-7 at what is now called Chapman Park on the campus of the Golden Eagles.
The Cowboys improved to 34-18 overall following the midweek victory, continuing to build momentum entering the final Big 12 weekend series of the regular season.
Oral Roberts fell to 30-21 overall after briefly controlling the middle innings before Oklahoma State’s offense erupted once again.
The Cowboys entered the night having hit the second-most home runs of any team in College baseball at 124, and they added four more Tuesday while drawing 15 walks and forcing Oral Roberts to cycle through seven pitchers. The Cowboys now have 128 home runs on the year, which is 2nd behind Georgia, who has it 140.
Conover Sets Tone Early With Two-Homer Night
Oklahoma State wasted no time jumping ahead.
Alex Conover continued the hottest stretches of his career by launching a solo home run to left field in the top of the first inning. The blast gave the Cowboys an immediate 1-0 lead and continued Conover’s remarkable recent power surge.
Two innings later, he did it again.
After Evan Saunders grounded out, then Danny Wallace struck out to start the second inning, Conover crushed another solo shot, this time to right field, and this one extended Oklahoma State’s lead to 2-0.
Conover finished the night 2-for-4 with two home runs, four runs scored, and two RBIs while also drawing two walks. The veteran outfielder raised his season batting average to .395 while increasing his home run total to 13 and his OPS to an elite 1.195.
His offensive consistency has become one of the driving forces behind Oklahoma State’s lineup over the final month of the season.
Oral Roberts Responds Against Zane Burns
Despite Oklahoma State’s early lead, Oral Roberts gradually worked its way back against Oklahoma State starter Zane Burns. Burns did a great job getting through the first two innings scoreless, but then ran into trouble in the 3rd, and then a lot of trouble in the 4th.
The Golden Eagles manufactured a run in the third inning after Burns hit the leadoff hitter, Hudson Ellis, who later scored on a Wailele Kane Yates’ RBI groundout.
Oral Roberts then took control in the fourth.
Burns got the first out easily on a flyout from Martell Davis, but then things started to unravel. Cooper Kelly singled, which seemed like it might become harmless after the 2nd out was recorded on an Ethan Fender groundout. But Keaton Campbell then singled to tie the game, and, then, later in the inning, Will Edmunson delivered a two-run single to right field, and pushed Oral Roberts in the lead at 4-2.
Burns battled through four innings but struggled to consistently finish hitters once Oral Roberts began stringing together quality at-bats. Which is very typical of young pitchers, but Burns is a DAWG, and has the talent to be a BIG part of this program moving forward, mark my words on that.
In all, he allowed four earned runs on five hits across four innings while striking out two and walking one on 54 pitches.
While Burns showed flashes of sharp command early, Oral Roberts adjusted the second time through the order by attacking pitches early in counts and consistently using the middle of the field. It’s amazing how many hits there are to be had in to the big part of the field.
Oral Roberts Extends Lead Before Cowboys Explode
The game appeared to tilt further toward Oral Roberts in the fifth inning, and I’m sure OSU fans were thinking it’s another typical OSU vs ORU game where it seems like the Pokes get lost somewhere in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle.
After Oklahoma State cut the deficit to 4-3 on Campbell Smithwick’s sacrifice fly, the Golden Eagles immediately answered.
Martell Davis delivered the biggest blow of the night for Oral Roberts, hammering a two-run homer to left field off Parker Jennings to stretch the lead to 6-3. That was disappointing because Parker started well by striking out Wailele Kane Yates to lead the inning off, before things came undone after that.
At that point, OSU was down 6-3, and they were surely fatigued from this past weekend. Thompson and Meola weren’t in the lineup, and the bullpen was thin. But, as this team has done all year, just when you think things look the worst, that’s when this team did it’s best work.
But then the top of the 6th happened!
Sixth-Inning Avalanche Changes Entire Game
The sixth inning completely flipped the game and showcased exactly why Oklahoma State’s offense has become one of the most dangerous units in the country entering postseason play.
Oral Roberts starter Conner Johnson exited after five innings, and Oklahoma State immediately capitalized on shaky bullpen command.
Garrett Shull walked.
Evan Saunders walked.
Remo Indomenico walked.
Then the floodgates opened.
A passed ball brought home Oklahoma State’s fourth run before Conover worked another walk to load the bases for Avery Ortiz.
Ortiz delivered the defining swing of the night.
The Oklahoma State shortstop crushed a towering grand slam to left-center field, instantly turning a 6-4 deficit into an 8-6 Oklahoma State lead. Ortiz played his High School ball for Coach Newkirk just down the road at Tulsa Union, so that had to be a SUPER cool homecoming moment for him. That, and just grand slams are about as cool as it gets, and, just now getting back from injury, that swing had to feel from that perspective too.
Kollin Ritchie followed with another homer to right field, his 29th long ball of the season, extending the advantage to 9-6.
In a matter of minutes, Oklahoma State transformed a difficult-looking deficit into a three-run lead.
Ortiz finished the night 3-for-4 with five RBIs, including the grand slam and an RBI double later in the game. The sophomore raised his season average to .276 while continuing to provide major production since he’s come back from his hamstring issues.
Jake Kennedy Stabilizes Game Out of Bullpen
Comebacks ALWAYS start with hangin’ zeroes in the bullpen. Or, at least the bullpen needs to do a good enough job stabilizing the game long enough for the offense to catch up. While Oklahoma State’s offense stole headlines again, Jake Kennedy delivered arguably the game’s most important pitching performance.
Kennedy entered in the fifth inning after Oral Roberts extended its lead and immediately stabilized the game.
The right-hander worked 4.2 innings in relief, allowing just one earned run on two hits while striking out four and walking two. He consistently attacked hitters and gave Oklahoma State exactly what it needed after the Pokes had fallen behind.
Kennedy earned the win for his GREAT efforts to improve to 3-0 on the season.
The bullpen performance also highlighted an important recent trend for Oklahoma State. While the Cowboys’ offense continues carrying much of the national attention, the relief pitching has, somewhat quietly, become more reliable during the second half of the season, and especially in Conference play.
Kennedy’s ability to bridge nearly five innings preserved Oklahoma State’s bullpen depth entering the weekend series against Arizona.
Cowboys Continue Offensive Surge
Oklahoma State’s offense continues trending upward at precisely the right time.
The Cowboys entered Tuesday averaging over eight runs per game while ranking 2nd in home runs (128), and 6th in slugging percentage (.562). Those numbers only improved after another explosive night.
Oklahoma State finished with:
12 runs
8 hits
15 walks
4 home runs
The discipline at the plate stood out just as much as the power.
Oral Roberts pitchers threw 210 total pitches while Oklahoma State repeatedly forced deep counts and created pressure throughout the game.
Colin Brueggemann and Evan Saunders each drew three walks. Saunders walked three times and scored twice. Campbell Smithwick reached base three times, and Kollin Ritchie added another homer and two walks.
Even with only eight hits, Oklahoma State consistently created traffic and capitalized once Oral Roberts’ bullpen lost command.
The lineup’s depth continues to separate this team offensively.
Ritchie now owns a staggering 1.322 OPS with 28 home runs and 72 RBIs on the season. Meola didn’t even play last night, but remains one of the nation’s most productive power bats with 16 home runs and 62 RBIs. Brock Thompson, who also didn’t play, has added 10 homers and 43 RBIs, while Colin Brueggemann sits at 14 home runs and 50 RBIs.
Few lineups nationally can match Oklahoma State’s combination of power, and when this team is patient and takes its walks, the crooked numbers come in bunches.
Holliday Praises Offensive Approach and Team Resilience
Following the victory, Oklahoma State head coach Josh Holliday joined Danial Allen of the Stillwegian and emphasized the maturity of the offense and the team’s ability to stay composed despite falling behind.
“I thought our guys stayed patient all night. We kept taking walks, kept putting pressure on them, and eventually the big swing came.”
Holliday also praised the way Oklahoma State responded emotionally after Oral Roberts grabbed momentum in the middle innings.
“There wasn’t any panic in the dugout. This team believes it can score quickly, and they showed that again tonight.”
The Oklahoma State coach specifically highlighted the importance of Kennedy’s bullpen outing after the offense reclaimed the lead.
“Jake was outstanding. He attacked the strike zone, slowed the game down, and gave us exactly what we needed out of the bullpen.”
Holliday also pointed toward the continued growth of the lineup entering the final weekend of the regular season.
“The quality of our at-bats has improved,” Holliday said. “We’re getting contributions throughout the lineup, and that makes us dangerous.”
Looking Ahead
Oklahoma State now turns its attention back to Big 12 play for a critical regular-season-ending conference series this weekend.
The Cowboys will play Arizona at O’Brate Stadium in a series with major postseason implications for Big 12 tournament seeding and NCAA Tournament positioning. The series will start on Thursday and end on Saturday.
With the offense continuing to surge and the bullpen beginning to stabilize, Oklahoma State enters the final weekend playing some of its best baseball of the season.
