STILLWATER, Okla. — In a game that had a little bit of everything, the OSU baseball squad delivered one of its most dramatic wins of the season Friday night, walking off TCU Horned Frogs baseball, 7–6, behind a historic performance from Kollin Ritchie at O’Brate Stadium.
Oklahoma State (29-17, 12-10 Big 12) erased a three-run deficit and capped the comeback with Ritchie’s third home run of the night — a walk-off blast in the ninth — to secure a crucial conference win over TCU (29-16, 13-9 Big 12).
Game Flow: Momentum Swings and Late Drama
The Cowboys wasted no time setting the tone. In the first inning, Ritchie sparked the offense with a double before Aidan Meola drove in two runs with a shot to right-center that was originally called a home run, but overturned into a double after replay. The Pokes couldn’t plate Meola, so they settled for 2, taking a 2–0 lead in the 1st inning.
Ritchie added to that lead in the third inning, launching his 23rd home run of the season to push the advantage to 3–0.
TCU answered in the fourth, when Chase Brunson crushed a two-run homer to cut the deficit to one. The Horned Frogs then seized control in the fifth inning with a decisive outburst. Nolan Traeger delivered a three-run homer, followed immediately by a solo shot from Brady Dallimore, flipping the score to 6–3.
That inning marked the toughest stretch for OSU starter Ethan Lund, who struggled with command and was chased after 4.2 innings.
“We knew they were going to punch back,” an OSU player said Ritchie after the game. “It was about staying locked in and not letting that inning define us.”
Cowboys Chip Away
Oklahoma State responded immediately in the bottom of the fifth. Danny Wallace launched a solo homer to right-center, and later in the inning, Meola reached on an infield single that led to an unearned run after the TCU pitcher threw a swinging bunt over the 1st basemans head, and down the right field line. That sequence trimmed the deficit to 6–5, and, beyond that, it was an answer to the blow that was the 4th and 5th innings for TCU.
From there, the game turned into a bullpen battle.
The Cowboys’ relievers — Noah Wech, Drew Blake, Kai Fyke, and Hudson Barrett — combined to shut down TCU over the final 4.1 innings, allowing just two hits and no runs while striking out seven.
“Our bullpen was outstanding,” OSU’s head coach said. “They gave us a chance to come back, and that’s all you can ask.”
Drew Blake was the Loogy, meaning the left-handed one out guy. Kai Fyke was fantastic, and after giving up a home run on the first pitch he threw, Noah Wech settled down and did a good job. Hudson Barrett gave the Pokes an inspiring effort in the 8th and the 9th, going scorless in both frames, and showing a lot of intensity and great energy that got his team fired up.
Back to the scoring, though, Ritchie tied the game in the seventh inning with his second homer of the night, a solo shot to left-center.
After OSU stranded the bases loaded in the eighth, the stage was set for the ninth.
Walk-Off Heroics
With one out in the ninth, Ritchie delivered again — hammering a 1-0 pitch over the right-field wall for his third home run of the game and 25th of the season, sealing the 7–6 win. Unbelievable, they pitched to him in that situation. I can’t imagine they will for the rest of the weekend.
Ritchie finished a perfect 4-for-4 with three home runs, a double, five runs scored, and three RBIs — one of the most dominant individual performances in program history, which is saying something, because OSU baseball has featured some of the greatest players ever to play the game.
“I was just trying to stay simple and get a good pitch to hit,” Ritchie said. “Moments like that are what you dream about.”
Pitching Breakdown
Ethan Lund (OSU)
4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 10 K
Lund showed swing-and-miss stuff with 10 strikeouts but struggled with control, issuing five walks and surrendering three home runs. He featured a good breaking ball in the 82-83 range, and a fastball that touched 96, but was inefficient early, and that cost him late when he ran out of gas, then gave up the home runs to end his outing.
OSU Bullpen (Wech, Blake, Fyke, Barrett)
4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Hudson Barrett (4-1) earned the win with 1.2 scoreless innings and four strikeouts, continuing his emergence as a reliable late-game arm. Comebacks always start with the bullpen hanging zeroes, so it can’t be understated the job that Blake, Fyke, and Barrett did. Wech was good after the home run he gave up, so give him credit too for settling down.
TCU Pitching
Trever Baumler gave up four runs in four innings, while Mason Brassfield’s defensive miscues proved costly. Nate Stern (2-1) took the loss after surrendering the walk-off homer.
Offensive Standouts
Oklahoma State
Kollin Ritchie: 4-for-4, 3 HR (23–25), 3 RBI, 5 R
Season: 25 HR (Big 12 leader), elite power surge continues
Aidan Meola: 2-for-3, 2 RBI
Danny Wallace: 1-for-4, HR (3rd), RBI
TCU
Chase Brunson: 2-for-4, HR (9th), 2 RBI
Nolan Traeger: 1-for-4, HR (4th), 3 RBI
Brady Dallimore: 1-for-4, HR (7th), RBI
Trends: Power Surge and Bullpen Growth
Oklahoma State’s offense continues to lean heavily on the long ball, hitting four home runs in the game and showing a growing ability to respond late. Ritchie, in particular, has been one of the hottest hitters in the country, now up to 25 homers on the season. That is the most in a single season in the Josh Holliday era, beating out Nolan Schubart, who hit 23 in 2024.
The pitching staff remains a mixed bag. While Lund has yet to find his Friday night groove, Mario Pesca has been good in the Saturday role, so let’s just hope his blister issues resolve themselves. Brennan Phillips has had a rebirth as the Sunday starter, and Stormy Rhodes has given this Cowboy team some good starts, too. And, as long as you’re talking about the weekend action, the bullpen has been good as of late. In all, the OSU pitchers struck out 17 TCU hitters, which is crazy good, because the Frogs typically are a good bat-to-ball offense.
What It Means
The win moves Oklahoma State to 12-10 in Big 12 Conference play, keeping them firmly in the middle of the conference race as postseason positioning begins to take shape. TCU, at 13-9, remains slightly ahead in the standings but missed an opportunity to extend its lead.
Looking Ahead
The series continues Saturday in Stillwater, with Oklahoma State aiming to build momentum after the emotional win. Pitching matchups are guesswork at this point because it depends on whether Mario Pescas’ finger is good enough to let him go. His finger doesn’t just need to be good enough to go, it needs to be good enough for him to be effective, because the Pokes can’t give away games at this point. TCU threw Trevor Baumler tonight because their scheduled starter, Tommy LaPour, couldn’t go. So, they can either slot in Zach Morris for tomorrow and piece together Sunday, or do that in reverse.
“That’s a big win,” OSU’s coach added. “But it’s one game. We’ve got to come back ready tomorrow.”
Game Details
Final: Oklahoma State 7, TCU 6
Location: O’Brate Stadium (Stillwater, OK)
- Attendance: 4073
Records: OSU (29-17, 12-10), TCU (29-16, 13-9)
In a season defined by power and resilience, Friday night may stand as Oklahoma State’s most thrilling statement yet.
Become a subscriber to our O-State Daily YouTube page and follow us on Twitter @OState_Daily, on Instagram @ostatedaily, or on TikTok @ostatedaily
Also, please consider donating to our GoFundMe to help O-State Daily keep growing. To do so, click this link https://gofund.me/db54a295. This site will always be free to its viewers, but it does take time and money to run, so any donation would be greatly appreciated.
