LAWRENCE, Kan. – Oklahoma State fell short of a series sweep at Kansas as the 20th-ranked Cowboys dropped an 8-7 contest in Sunday’s finale at Hoglund Ballpark.
The loss snapped OSU’s three-game winning streak as the Cowboys fell to 27-15-1 overall and 10-11 in Big 12 Conference play. KU is now 26-23 and 5-13 in the league.
Offensively, Carson McCusker led the Cowboys with a 3-for-5 day at the plate, while Max Hewitt added a 2-for-4 effort, but OSU left 14 runners stranded on the basepaths.
Bryce Osmond earned the start on the mound for the Pokes and struck out eight while allowing six runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.
Kale Davis took the loss in relief as he walked in the winning run with one out in the ninth to fall to 1-3 on the season.
The Cowboys once again jumped on KU early, getting a pair of runs in the first inning. Jake Thompson got the scoring started with an RBI double into the right-center field gap, and McCusker followed with a run scoring single to make the score 2-0.
OSU extended its lead in the second as, with the bases full of Cowboys and two outs, Encarnacion-Strand doubled to bring home a pair of runs.
The Jayhawks cut into the OSU lead in the third, rallying for three runs on four hits against Osmond, but the Cowboys added a run in the fifth and two more in the sixth on a two-out, two-RBI single by Cade Cabbiness to take a 7-3 advantage.
But KU pulled to within one with a three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth, collecting four hits in the frame and knocking Osmond from the game.
Colton Bowman was strong out of OSU bullpen in relief of Osmond, keeping KU off the scoreboard over his first 2 1/3 innings.
But after issuing a leadoff walk in the ninth, Bowman was relieved by Davis, who surrendered a triple to Dylan Ditzenberger that tied the game at 7-7.
After consecutive intentional walks to load the bases, Davis picked up a strikeout for the first out of the inning. However, he would walk Brett Vosik on four pitches to bring home the winning run.
OSU returns to action Tuesday for a non-conference Bedlam showdown against Oklahoma at ONEOK Field in Tulsa. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
