Special to CollegeBaseballInsider.com (photo by Katie Dugan)
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Oklahoma State swept through the Palmetto State going 3-0 in the Clemson Regional and then 2-0 in the Super Regional against South Carolina to earn its first trip to the College World Series since 1999.
The Cowboys used a three-run fifth inning and another masterful pitching performance to post a 3-1 victory over the Gamecocks on Saturday afternoon at Founders Park.
There were 7,677 screaming fans against him, but Cowboys starting pitcher Tyler Buffet allowed one earned run on eight hits over seven innings. His team, through five NCAA Tournament games, has allowed five earned runs in 45 innings.
“This program has amazing players,” Oklahoma State head coach Josh Holliday said. “They took the opportunity to go on the road together against a challenging bracket. Nobody thought anything about this team. They went out for the past two weeks and played beautiful baseball. They are writing a script that they will never forget.”
The Gamecocks didn’t have many chances to score in the opening game of the series but chances were aplenty in Game 2. Buffett, along with relievers Michael Mertz and Trey Cobb, had to make several big pitches with runners on base.
South Carolina had at least two runners on in six of the final seven innings, but only once did a runner touch home plate. Oklahoma State pitchers held its opposition to 0-for-9 hitting with runners in scoring position on Sunday and the only run the Gamecocks scored came on a wild pitch.
“The couple of hits they got, it seemed like I made a good pitch and it just found a hole,” Buffett said. “It was really a matter of telling myself to keep making pitches and trust the guys behind me were going to make plays.”
Over the two-game Super Regional, the Cowboys gave up just two runs and did not commit an error. The Gamecocks played 17 of their 18 innings error-free, but the three-run Oklahoma State fifth inning was boosted by two miscues.
The turning point came in the fifth inning when Oklahoma State was able to strike for three runs, which were assisted by two big errors. With a runner on second and one out, shortstop Marcus Mooney tried to throw behind the runner at second base but his throw was off the mark and went into right field.
A squeeze bunt that scored a run, an RBI single and a throwing error by catcher John Jones that brought in another run immediately followed and the Gamecocks found themselves behind 3-0 with only 12 more outs to work with offensively.
“(Mooney) just made a mistake,” South Carolina head coach Chad Holbrook said. “He was trying to make a play. He’s the player on defense I trust with my life, and I still do. He wishes he had it back, but it didn’t work out. We try to play conservative defense here, and that wasn’t conservative. If we had thrown the ball to first, who knows. It would have been tough for them to score.”
That would be the only inning that the Cowboys would scratch, but it would be enough. South Carolina starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt gave up three runs, all earned, on six hits with six strikeouts. Sophomore Tyler Johnson threw two shutout innings giving up two hits with four strikeouts.
South Carolina’s pitchers did enough to keep its team in the game, but it just couldn’t come through offensively.
The tying runners reached base with two outs in the ninth as a pair of seniors, DC Arendas and Marcus Mooney, walked and singled. Junior Gene Cone, the team’s leading hitter, roped a line drive off of relief pitcher Trey Cobb, but second baseman J.R. Davis was able to snare it to end the game.
“We pitched exceptionally well,” Oklahoma State head coach Josh Holladay said. “What else can you say?”
Cobb allowed a hit and a walk in a 28-pitch ninth inning but picked up his fifth save of the season and his second in as many days.
The Cowboys didn’t dog pile on the field, stating afterwards they only wanted to do that once, and wanted it to be in Omaha. They slapped hands with each other for the fifth time in the Palmetto State after a win and now they’re off to Nebraska.