The No. 20 University of Arizona baseball team closed out a weekend series against Oklahoma State University from Friday, April 11 to Sunday, April 13 at Hi Corbett Field. The Wildcats came away with two wins and a loss, claiming its second straight Big 12 Conference series win. Coming into the matchup against the Cowboys, Arizona came off a 11-9 victory over New Mexico State University.
Game 1: Oklahoma State 4 – Arizona 2
Despite a stellar outing from starting pitcher Collin McKinney and a late-game home run from center fielder Aaron Walton, the Wildcats dropped its series opener to Oklahoma State, 4–2, in 10 innings on Friday night.
McKinney delivered his best start as a Wildcat, tossing 5.2 innings of 2-run ball, while scattering seven hits. McKinney continued his impressive performance, striking out a season-high eight batters and walking just one. The right-hander threw 73 of his 103 pitches for strikes and worked into just three three-ball counts on the night. The sophomore did not factor into the decision.
Arizona struck first in the opening inning, capitalizing on a throwing error to push across an unearned run. Oklahoma State answered in the fourth with a two-out, two-RBI single from Drew Culbertson to take a 2–1 lead.
That score held until the bottom of the ninth, when Walton launched a solo home run to right-center field — his third hit of the night and sixth homer of the season — to tie the game and send it to extras.
Walton served as an offensive standout for Arizona, going 3-for-4 with a double and a home run in the ninth. He accounted for all three of the Wildcats’ hits.
In the top of the 10th, Nolan Schubart walked and Colin Brueggemann doubled to set the stage for Jayson Jones. Jones plated both runners with a two-RBI single through a drawn-in infield to take the lead 4-2.
Arizona posed as a threat in the bottom half after Andrew Cain reached second on an error, but Jones made a diving stop at third base to take away a hit before Harrison Bodendorf recorded a strikeout and a groundout to seal the win.
Oklahoma State’s Bodendorf went the distance in a 125-pitch, 10-inning complete game effort. The left-hander held Arizona to 1 earned run on three hits while striking out 10.
Game 2: Arizona 5 – Oklahoma State 1
Arizona leveled out its weekend series against Oklahoma State with a 5–1 win on Saturday, riding seven shutout innings from right-hander Owen Kramkowski and a timely 3-run homer from Maddox Mihalakis.
Kramkowski (5–3) turned in his second consecutive dominant outing, limiting the Cowboys to four hits across seven scoreless innings while striking out five. Kramkowski has allowed just 3 earned runs over his last two starts, spanning 15.2 innings.
Scoreless through five, Arizona broke through in the sixth. Mason White doubled with one out, and after a walk, Mihalakis launched a 3-run home run onto the roof of the Terry Francona Hitting Center in right field — his third of the season — to give the Wildcats a 3–0 lead.
The Wildcats tacked on another run in the seventh when Easton Breyfogle tripled and scored on a bunt single. Tommy Splaine added an RBI double in the eighth to extend the lead to 5–1.
The Cowboys’ lone run came in the eighth on a two-out RBI single from Schubart, who finished 3-for-4. OSU stranded two in the inning and were otherwise held in check by the Wildcats’ pitching.
Right-hander Tony Pluta earned his seventh save of the season with a perfect 1.1-inning effort, retiring all four batters he faced and striking out one. He now leads the Big 12 in saves.
Mihalakis led Arizona at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs. Splaine also finished 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while White and Adonys Guzman each reached base twice.
Game 3: Arizona 5 – Oklahoma State 4
For the second time in three days, designated hitter Mihalakis came up clutch in the ninth inning, this time with a walk-off single to lift Arizona to a 5–4 victory over Oklahoma State to close out the three-game series.
The Cowboys struck first, scoring twice in the opening two innings and adding a third run in the fourth on an RBI groundout. Arizona got on the board with two outs in the bottom of the fourth, when Cain tripled to bring home a run.
The Wildcats added another in the seventh on a Breyfogle double to take a 3–2 lead. Trailing in the eighth, Cain tied the game on a single up the middle. Shortly after, Arizona tied it in the eighth before Splaine gave the Wildcats the 4-3 lead with a sac fly.
Cain sparked Arizona’s comeback, going 3-for-3 with a double, triple, two RBIs and a walk. Mihalakis added two hits and an RBI, while left fielder Breyfogle chipped in a 2-for-4 performance with a double and an RBI.
After Oklahoma State evened out the game with a two-out solo home run in the top of the ninth, the Wildcats were able to respond in the bottom half.
Center fielder Walton reached on an error to open the ninth and moved to second on a wild pitch. Following an intentional walk and a double play that advanced Walton to third, Mihalakis came through with a two-out RBI single to center to end the game.
Freshman right-hander Smith Bailey started for Arizona and allowed 3 runs on six hits over five innings, striking out five in a no-decision. Garrett Hicks (4–0) completed the win after finishing the final four frames, allowing just 1 run on three hits with three strikeouts.
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