by OKLAHOMA CITY—Oklahoma State came back from a five-run deficit to defeat Nebraska, 6-5, in Saturday’s winner’s bracket game of the NCAA Oklahoma City Regional at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
OSU (38-18) was down to its final out when it scored four runs to come from behind and defeat the Cornhuskers to advance to the regional championship. The top-seeded Cowboys will face either Nebraska or UConn Sunday at 5 p.m.
Trevor Boone (Osage Nation) launched a no-doubt, three-run home run onto the left-field concourse with two outs to give OSU its first lead of the game at 6-5. Boone drove in Andrew Navigato and Christian Funk after Navigato hit an RBI single in the previous at-bat. Boone’s home run was his team-high 20th of the season.
Jake Lyons threw six quality innings in relief of starter Parker Scott to earn the win and improve to 5-2 on the season. During one stretch, Lyons retired 14-straight batters, with his streak starting in the third inning and continuing into the eighth. He also tied his career-high mark in strikeouts with six.
Ben Leeper entered in the bottom half of the ninth and threw a perfect inning, earning his seventh save of the season. He is now tied for eighth on the OSU’s single-season saves list.
The Cowboys were down by a score of 5-0 heading into the sixth inning. From that point on, OSU was the only team to score a run. OSU’s comeback was its 19th of the season, which is the most comeback wins in a season since 2014.
The effort against the Cornhuskers was OSU’s second-largest comeback of the season behind only its comeback from a six-run deficit against USC. The Cowboys also move to 13-6 this season in one-run games.
Carson McCusker kicked off OSU’s steady comeback with a solo home run in the sixth inning, his sixth round tripper of the season.
Bryce Carter drove in another run in the eighth inning with an RBI double to right-center field. The run cut the Cowboy deficit to 5-2 headed into the final frame.
Nebraska (32-23) scored all of its runs in the first three innings, getting a three-run homer from Aaron Palensky in the opening frame and a two-RBI single off the bat of Colby Gomes in the third.
The Cowboys also improved to 6-2 this season when playing at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark
