Oklahoma State, the final team to qualify for the Big 12 tournament, is wearing its desperation well.
On Thursday the eighth-seeded Cowboys extended their upset flurry by ambushing West Virginia 8-4 in Oklahoma City, where catcher Colin Simpson hit two homers and drove in a career-best five runs.
Ace BJ Myers lasted only two innings for the Mountaineers (33-23), who now face a Friday elimination game against regular-season champion Texas Tech, another of OSU’s tournament victims.
The Cowboys (28-25) are longshots to snag an NCAA at-large bid and therefore need to win this week’s championship at Bricktown Ballpark to advance. Their season could have ended on the final day of the regular season if not for a doubleheader sweep of Oklahoma.
Simpson hit a two-run blast against Myers (4-4) in the first inning before cranking a three-run bomb in the sixth off Jackson Sigman. Five of his 11 homers this season have come against West Virginia.
“When we left Stillwater earlier this year, we gave their catcher the nickname Homer Simpson,” said Mountaineers coach Randy Mazey. “He lived up to the billing today again. He just feels so comfortable at the plate against us. That guy has killed us.”
Simpson also smacked a double during his 4-for-5 day, though he couldn’t pinpoint why he has been so hot against West Virginia.
“I really don’t know what it is,” he said. “I’m not sure if it’s the way the (WVU) pitchers throw, but I tend to see the ball well when it leaves their hands.”
Myers allowed four hits and lasted only 43 pitches in his shortest outing of the season. The bullpen, well rested after Isaiah Kearns’ complete-game effort Wednesday, nonetheless endured a rough day. Sam Kessler gave up a run over two innings and OSU tagged Cody Wood for four runs in one-plus innings.
While Cowboys starter Tyler Buffett (6-5) surrendered 12 hits over 5 1/3 innings, he limited the damage to four runs. Suddenly, a program in the midst of a disappointing season is radiating the confidence last year’s squad showed on the way to the College World Series.
“We are gritty Pokes,” Buffett said. “We are going to fight and win. It’s time.”
Braden Zarbnisky led WVU going 4-for-4 with a stolen base, though he was picked off first facing a four-run deficit late in the game.
Ivan Gonzalez, Jackson Cramer and Darius Hill added two hits each for the Mountaineers.
The West Virginia-Texas Tech survivor must beat Oklahoma State twice to reach theBig 12 championship game.
“The bullpen list (Friday) is going to be a short one,” Mazey said. “We need big Alek (Manoah) to go out there and get us pretty deep into that game.”