Oklahoma State’s struggles on the diamond continued Tuesday night, as the Cowboys dropped their fourth straight in a 10-8 loss at Missouri State. The Bears, who are leaving the Missouri Valley for Conference USA next season, took advantage of Oklahoma State’s inexperience, breaking the game open in the fifth inning by scoring three runs off a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch and a fielder’s choice in a span of two batters.
The Cowboys have now allowed 10 or more runs in three straight games, all losses. At 12-14 and 1-6 in the league, Oklahoma State is in serious danger of being ineligible for the NCAA tournament by failing to earn a .500 record. If that happens, that would mark the first time since 2012 that Oklahoma State failed to qualify.
Of the Cowboys’ 25 remaining games, all of them are against either Big 12 opponents or teams who made the NCAA tournament last season. They face first-place Kansas State in Stillwater this weekend.
Read More: Around the Big 12: Wednesday, April 2
Wildcats Tripped at Grand Canyon
Arizona took an 11-5 midweek loss to Grand Canyon, the team that beat the Wildcats to open last year’s NCAA tournament. Arizona nearly made a game of it in the late innings off its nation-leading 18th triple of the season, but the Antelopes opened the bottom of the eighth with four hits from their first five batters. Grand Canyon scored four runs in the eighth and ended any comeback hopes.
Arizona faces rival Arizona State in Phoenix this weekend.
Sun Devils Run-Rule Titans
Brandon Compton hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, and Arizona State never looked back. The Sun Devils scored in five of their six turns at bat, swamping Cal State Fullerton 14-4 in seven innings.
Related: West Virginia Bests Ohio State
Every Sun Devil batter hit safely at least once in the rout. Arizona State has won five of six and sits in second place heading into its weekend series with Arizona.
Bears Walk Off Houston Christian
Travis Sanders’ solo home run in the bottom of the ninth lifted Baylor past upstart Houston Christian, winning 3-2 in Waco. The Bears held the Huskies scoreless through seven innings before losing the lead twice in the last two frames.
A year after failing to qualify for the Southland Conference tournament, Houston Christian has become a solid mid-major and leads the Southland. Baylor has won five of six as it prepares to host Houston this weekend.
Bearcats Pick Off Rival RedHawks
Kerrington Cross turned Cincinnati’s game with local rival Miami-Ohio on its head with a seventh-inning grand slam, giving the Bearcats their first lead in a 6-4 win. Cincinnati scored all of its runs in the sixth inning, adding a two-run double from Cal Sefcik.
The Bearcats ride a five-game winning streak, which includes a win over a ranked Louisville. Cincinnati visits Texas Tech this weekend.
Cougars Win Slugfest at Oral Roberts
Brigham Young threw away a seven-run lead, but pounded out enough offense to survive a 12-10 Tuesday game in Tulsa against Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles fell behind 7-0 after a six-run third inning, but BYU’s pitching again failed to do the job.
The Cougars got outhit 17-9 by their hosts, marking their third consecutive game giving up at least 10 runs. West Virginia put up 44 runs against BYU in last weekend’s series, including a 20-6 victory on Friday. The Cougars start their weekend series Thursday against TCU.
Frogs Continue Midweek Dominance
TCU moved to 8-0 on the year in midweek games, earning a 5-4 victory over Texas-San Antonio on a ninth-inning sacrifice fly. The Frogs held the Roadrunners scoreless over the final five innings and took advantage of poor baserunning to prevent UTSA from breaking open the game. They play BYU beginning Thursday.
Red Raiders Drop Fourth Straight
In need of a midweek breather, Texas Tech instead faced SEC power Oklahoma in Frisco. Tech dropped an 8-6 decision, marking its fourth straight defeat. Logan Hughes and Antonelli Savaterre nearly brought Texas Tech back from an early 6-1 hole with a home run and a triple in the final two innings, but the Red Raiders’ deficit proved too deep to overcome.
At 8-17, Texas Tech faces long odds to even become eligible for the NCAA Tournament. The Red Raiders host Cincinnati this weekend.
Lightning Helps Knights End Skid
Central Florida broke a five-game losing streak in a lightning-shortened game, beating Stetson 2-0 in 5 innings. The Knights held the Hatters to one hit before lightning in the Orlando area delayed the game for nearly two hours. At the 1:40 mark of the delay, the game was called. UCF will host Kansas this weekend.
