Summary
Oklahoma State struck first with a leadoff double and sacrifice fly in the opening frame to take a 1-0 lead. BYU limited the damage by cutting down a runner on the bases, then threatened in the bottom half with a single from McNaughton, but back-to-back strikeouts kept the Cougars off the board.
BYU responded in the third as McNaughton singled and stole second before Robinson launched a two-run home run to right, giving the Cougars a 2-1 advantage.
The Cowboys answered in the fourth, capitalizing on three base hits to tie the game on a wild pitch before adding an RBI double to reclaim a 3-2 lead. Oklahoma State broke the game open in the fifth, using a two-run home run and multiple extra-base hits to extend its lead to 8-2, despite a leaping catch at the wall from Keoni Painter.
In the sixth, a walk and two wild pitches set up another run for the Cowboys on an RBI single to push the score to 9-2.
BYU chipped away in the seventh as Tu’alau Wolfgramm delivered an RBI double to left center that scored Hurdsman who had singled to lead off the inning, but a bases-loaded opportunity was thwarted on a leaping linedrive grab by OSU shortstop Brock Thompson. Oklahoma State added two more in the eighth on a two-run home run to stretch the lead to 11-3.
The Cougars responded in the bottom half of the eighth as Crew McChesney doubled off the wall and later scored on a sacrifice groundout. Painter followed with an RBI single to make it 11-5.
Oklahoma State added one run in the ninth on a wild pitch, and BYU was unable to mount a comeback in its final at-bat, falling 12-5.
Up Next
BYU plays the rubber match of its three-game series with Oklahoma State on Saturday, March 28 at 1 p.m. MDT at Miller Park in Provo. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and BYU Radio, with live stats available online.
