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I don’t think the No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys (22-9) could have asked for a better result than what they got this weekend, a three-game sweep over the Texas Longhorns (17-15). After a wild 18-inning win on Friday and a 3-1 victory on Saturday, the Cowboys defeated the Longhorns 8-3 on Sunday.
With the win, Josh Holliday’s club moves to 3-0 on the year in nationally-televised games and the team also clinched its 10th consecutive Big 12 series victory.
LHP Michael Freeman was nearly unhittable yet again, going eight innings while only allowing two runs. I guess this could be considered a bad outing by Freeman’s standards because two runs actually crossed the plate in the third inning on a hit by Ben Johnson.
Freeman’s line: 8 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 7 strikeouts, 3 walks on 106 pitches
Freeman definitely has a chance to bring home his third straight Big 12 Pitcher of the Week award with his performance on Sunday. This win moves him to 6-0 on the season with a sub-2.00 ERA.
The Cowboys offense was just as good as Freeman was today, scoring eight times on 12 hits. Conor Costello got things going with an RBI groundout that scored Tim Arakawa giving the Cowboys its first lead of the day.
With the Cowboys down 2-1, Dustin Williams had a two-RBI single that gave the team a lead that it would not give up for the rest of the game. Corey Hassel and Gage Green added RBI’s in the third and fourth innings putting OSU up 4-1.
The dagger came when Williams had the bases loaded in the fourth inning. The sophomore hit a ball to the left field wall that Johnson could not catch and three runs scored, putting the Cowboys up 8-2.
RHP Trey Cobb allowed a run in the ninth before shutting down the Cowboys 22nd victory of the season.
What we learned this weekend
1. This is the team to beat in the Big 12
I thought it would be TCU, but we saw what happened in Fort Worth when OSU won two of three games a couple weekends ago. After a sweep of Texas, I think the path to the Big 12 Championship runs through Stillwater yet again.
2. Corey Hassel is a legend
How many people can say they started a game in center field, got one hit in their first seven at-bats, came into pitch three scoreless innings and then hit a walk-off home run in the 18th inning? My guess is not many.
Walk-off home run+ win in relief= Big 12 Player of the Week?
3. I’m running out of ways to say Michael Freeman is incredible
Seriously, I don’t know what else I can say, he’s an absolute stud. I don’t if Holliday would want to break up his rhythm, but this guy has Friday starter stuff.