Blown Lead vs. Kansas Ends Oklahoma State's Big 12 Tournament Run

Oklahoma State’s season is out of the Cowboys’ hands.

No. 7 seed OSU lost to No. 2 seed Kansas 7-6 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington on Thursday night. The loss puts OSU in a position where it no longer controls its destiny as it hopes to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

OSU is still in a solid position to make the NCAA Tournament without getting the automatic bid, but throughout Thursday’s matchup, it appeared that the Cowboys’ spot was nearly guaranteed. After beating Baylor 4-3 in Wednesday’s first-round matchup, the Cowboys looked poised to potentially make a deep run.

That continued into the beginning of OSU’s matchup against Kansas. While the Jayhawks scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the first, the Cowboys struck back in the top of the third and began to gain some control.

Brayden Smith’s two-run homer pushed OSU into the lead before Nolan Schubart’s RBI single gave OSU a 3-1 advantage. Kansas would respond with another run in the bottom of the third, but OSU’s bats were still hot when the Cowboys got their next chance.

After scoring three runs with two outs in the bottom of the third, the Cowboys had a repeat performance in the fourth inning. Staring at their final out, the Cowboys put up another three runs, thanks to an RBI single from Avery Ortiz and a two-RBI single from Alex Conover a couple of batters later.

However, that would be the end of OSU’s magic in Arlington. Still leading 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh, OSU allowed Kansas to get back on the board with a sacrifice fly just before a three-run homer swung all the momentum into the Jayhawks’ favor and tied the game.

After OSU failed to score in the next two innings, Kansas loaded the bases with only one out in the bottom of the ninth, setting up Kansas’ Mike Koszewski’s walkoff single to push Kansas into the semifinals.

After the disappointing finish, the Cowboys will await their postseason fate. While OSU’s hot streak to finish the season put it in a great position to earn an at-large bid, this missed opportunity against Kansas could still be the difference.