Cowboy Baseball Season Ends With Heartbreaking Loss to Duke

Oklahoma State’s roller coaster season has finally come to a stop.

On Sunday night, OSU fell 3-2 to Duke in the Athens Regional Final. After eliminating Georgia earlier in the day, the Cowboys couldn’t put together another winning performance to force a Monday battle.

OSU’s run to the NCAA Tournament was improbable, and making the Regional Final was an impressive accomplishment. Still, OSU’s goal of making a Super Regional for the first time since 2019 wasn’t met.

Kollin Ritchie’s two-run homer in the top of the fourth was the only score on the board for most of the evening. However, a solo homer and a two-RBI single in the bottom of the eighth suddenly pushed Duke from a two-run hole to needing three outs for a Super Regional berth.

OSU couldn’t put anyone on base in the ninth and saw its season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion. The Cowboys had some opportunities throughout the night to put some more runs on the board, but it ended up costing them as it has so many times this season.

The Cowboys’ journey in the NCAA Tournament also encapsulated their entire season’s story. Throughout the year, OSU was never consistent but still had some moments to be proud of in an otherwise disappointing year.

Of course, the biggest achievement was simply making the NCAA Tournament after spending a sizeable chunk of the season with a losing record. While OSU’s hopes of making a run in the Athens Regional seemed to be dashed nearly upon arrival, the Cowboys still made the most of their trip to Georgia. 

The Cowboys’ time in Athens began with a blowout loss against Duke on Friday to set the stage for a weekend filled with elimination games. After falling to Duke, OSU used seven home runs to keep the season alive on Saturday against Binghamton.

From there, OSU would have needed a win against the host, No. 7 Georgia, and two wins against Duke to advance to a Super Regional. Ultimately, the Cowboys fell short, but their performance against Georgia might have been the highlight of the season.

Trailing by two runs entering the bottom of the ninth, OSU used a couple of two-run homers to tie and win the game. While knocking off the host seemed like it would have been a much bigger accomplishment coming into the weekend, the Cowboys still have a regional performance and season to be proud of.