GRANVILLE, W.Va. — No. 3 Oklahoma State scored five first-inning runs and never looked back Sunday in a 13-3 victory over 24th-ranked West Virginia at Wagener Field at Monongalia County Ballpark.
With the win, the Cowboys (26-10, 9-3) took over first place in the Big 12 Conference.
David Mendham’s two-run home run in the first inning helped Oklahoma State build the sizable early lead, and Marcus Brown and Griffin Doersching followed with back-to-back solo homers later in the frame to put the Mountaineers (22-12, 6-3) in an early 5-0 hole.
A two-run double from Jake Thompson in the fourth inning upped the OSU lead to 7-0, and it grew to eight runs before Nathan Blasick’s solo home run in the home half of the fifth inning. It marked the second straight day Blasick connected for a solo shot.
Blasick also added a run-scoring single in the seventh that brought the Mountaineers to within seven, and he scored later that inning on a wild pitch that trimmed the Cowboys’ lead to 9-3.
Oklahoma State went on to extend its lead to 13-3 with a four-run eighth, adding to a strong offensive day that saw the Cowboys finish with 11 hits, six of which went for extra bases, in addition to drawing seven walks.
Starting pitcher Bryce Osmond played a key role in the Cowboys winning the rubber match of the three-game set. Osmond, who pitched with a lead for the entirety of his outing, threw 6 2/3 innings and limited the Mountaineers to the three runs on three hits. He recorded 11 of his 20 outs via strikeout while improving to 3-1.
OSU’s Cayden Brumbaugh led all players with three hits. Thompson had three RBIs and Mendham recorded a double and home run in the victory.
Zach Bravo was the first of seven WVU pitchers used and suffered the loss. He allowed five runs, only two of which were earned, in one inning. Each of the three hits Bravo surrendered was a home run.
Carlson Reed took over for Bravo and had the longest outing of West Virginia’s six relievers. Reed tossed three innings and allowed a pair of runs on four hits.
West Virginia returns to action Tuesday at 6 p.m. when it takes on Pitt at PNC Park.