Cowboys edge Mountaineers to claim series

MORGANTOWN, W.VA. — A comeback victory lifted Oklahoma State to its third straight conference series win as the Cowboys claimed a 6-4 victory over West Virginia in Sunday’s rubber game at Monongalia County Ballpark.

Peyton Battenfield kept the Mountaineers (16-17, 2-7) off the scoreboard over the final four innings to earn his first win of the year as the right-hander scattered four hits and recorded five strikeouts in relief of starter Jonathan Heasley.

Offensively, OSU's Colin Simpson and Christian Funk both homered and drove in two runs, while Andrew Rosa was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles.

The Cowboys (20-131, 9-3) wouldn't get on the scoreboard until the fourth when Simpson led off the frame with an opposite-field home run off the foul pole in left field to cut the OSU deficit to 3-1. The blast was Simpson’s Big 12-leading 11th of the season and tied his career high of a year ago.

Trailing 4-1 after five innings, OSU erased the deficit and tied the game in the sixth. Following a one-out walk to Matt Kroon, Simpson ripped an RBI double for the Cowboys’ second run. Two batters later, Funk blasted a two-run shot over the left-field wall to tie the score at 4-4.

OSU took its first lead in the seventh. After a walk to Trevor Boone, Rosa doubled to put a pair of runners in scoring position. The Cowboys would take advantage as consecutive passed balls by WVU catcher Chase Illig plated both runners and put the Pokes up 6-4.