STILLWATER, Okla. – Kade Strowd threw another gem against a nationally ranked opponent with “OSU” on its caps, leading West Virginia to a series-clinching 4-2 win at No. 24 Oklahoma State.
Strowd (4-2) struck out 10 Cowboys and allowed two runs on four hits in a career-high 7 1/3 innings. It was his second road win at a Top 25 opponent this season. Strowd didn’t allow a run in 6 1/3 innings at No. 6 Oregon State on March 3.
Oklahoma State’s only damage was done by Colin Simpson, who launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the first. Simpson haunted the Mountaineers all weekend, with his go-ahead eighth-inning grand slam making the difference in Saturday’s 9-5 Oklahoma State win.
On Sunday, it was the Mountaineers (19-12, 4-5 Big 12) who made their move in the eighth.
Paul McIntosh’s one-out single scored Darius Hill to tie the game before TJ Lake gave the Mountaineers the lead by drawing a bases-loaded walk on a full count against Oklahoma State (19-11, 6-3) reliever Logan Gragg.
The RBI walk wasn’t even Lake’s biggest moment in the game. In the second inning, the left fielder reached over the wall to rob Oklahoma State’s Andrew Navigato of a would-be two-run homer. Strowd seemed to feed off the play as no Cowboy baserunners reached scoring position for the remainder of the game.
West Virginia added an insurance run on Darius Hill’s RBI single in the ninth. Hill finished 3-for-5 with two RBI.
WVU closer Sam Kessler, who gave up Simpson’s Saturday grand slam, was back to form on Sunday. Kessler struck out back-to-back Cowboys looking to finish the game with his sixth save.