Riggio, wild pitch fuel Cowboys’ comeback
STILLWATER — Roc Riggio got the wake-up call he needed.
Oklahoma State hit a wall during the seventh inning of its game against Oklahoma on Saturday, which began at 8 p.m. The seventh-ranked Cowboys got caught sleepwalking as they committed a pair of errors, and the Sooners capitalized by placing four runs on the board to claim a 7-3 lead.
After finally getting out of the nightmare of an inning, Riggio returned to OSU's dugout and was met by some words of encouragement from junior pitcher Mitchell Stone.
“We got this,” Stone told Riggio while looking directly into his eyes. “We got this.”
That was the adrenaline shot Riggio and the Cowboys needed.
In a Bedlam marathon that ended past midnight, OSU found a late surge of energy and scored five unanswered runs to earn an 8-7 win.
Riggio was the driving force. The 5foot-9 freshman led the comeback effort by going 3-for-4 at the plate to finish with two home runs and five RBIs.
“I thought Roc Riggio came of age tonight,” OSU head coach Josh Holliday said. “I saw a more authentic version of himself. That's who he is. He's the little guy with a big heart and big confidence.”
Riggio didn't shy away from showing his emotions in the bottom of the first inning.
After enduring a lengthy battle at the plate with OU pitcher David Sandlin, Riggio connected on the ninth pitch he saw.
He immediately knew it wasn't coming back. Riggio flipped his bat and strutted down the first base line, admiring his work as the ball sailed over the wall for a solo home run.
“The whole Oklahoma team, they were chirping, they were talking and they were saying everything,” Riggio said. “I was enjoying the moment… Ultimately, we don't like those guys, so we show off a little bit here and there.”
Riggio struck again in the second inning. This time he sent a shot into the outfield for a two-run double that gave the Cowboys (22-9, 6-2 Big 12) a 3-0 edge.
OU (18-11, 4-4 Big 12) leveled the playing field in the third inning, though. A two-run single by Tanner Tredaway trimmed the deficit to 3-2, and Jimmy Crooks tied the game on the following atbat with an RBI single.
OU then reached into its bullpen to prevent OSU from reclaiming the lead.
The Cowboys had runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the fifth inning when pitcher Carson Atwood trotted onto the field. After retiring the first two batters he faced, the sophomore got out of the jam by forcing Chase Adkison to fly out.
The third out silenced the crowd, which allowed a yell from Atwood to reverberate through the stadium.
"Let's go," Atwood hollered while walking back to the dugout.
Atwood was one of seven OU pitchers who made an appearance on Saturday.
“The bullpen was really good,” OU head coach Skip Johnson said. “I mean, coming in with runners on first and second and not giving up runs. Those guys battled their butts off.”
OU's bullpen got some insurance at the plate in the top of the seventh inning.
OSU pitcher Bayden Root launched a snap throw and immediately raised his hands to his head in disbelief as the wild toss eluded first baseman David Mendham. This allowed a runner to score, and Peyton Graham made it a 5-3 contest on the ensuing at-bat with an RBI single.
The Cowboys' second error of the inning came from center fielder Caeden Trenkle, who mishandled a ball and bought Tredaway enough time to score from first base.
Now down 7-3, OSU found a pulse in the bottom of the frame thanks to Nolan McLean.
The sophomore launched a 471-foot moon shot over the deepest point of the wall for a solo home run that trimmed the deficit to 7-4.
“(McLean) works hard,” sophomore infielder Marcus Brown said. “It was just a great swing. Stuff like that can definitely shift the momentum, for sure… He wants it more than anyone else.”
The Cowboys then erased the deficit entirely in the eighth inning. An RBI double by Trenkle made it a 7-5 contest, and Riggio continued his reign of terror on the next at-bat.
Cade Horton sent a breaking ball in the direction of Riggio, and Riggio sent a laser beam over the right fence for a tworun home run that tied the game.
Riggio reached a primal state as he crossed home plate and tore off his helmet before celebrating with his teammates.
“I blacked out,” Riggio said. “I remember hitting it, I remember stepping on home plate and then I remember being on the field in the next inning. I don't remember (celebrating) at all.”
McLean kept OU off the board in the top of the ninth with a 1-2-3 inning, and Brown did the rest in the bottom of the frame.
The sophomore infielder began with a leadoff single before eventually working his way to third base, and he saw an opportunity to steal home following a wild pitch from Trevin Michael.
The ball rolled behind the plate, which allowed Brown to score with ease and secure OSU's 8-7 victory.
“As soon as you saw the release point of that ball, you knew it was going to hit the ground,” Brown said. “It was one of those plays that's a little funky, but it's good to cross that plate and win that game.”
Trenkle tallied one RBI and two runs on 2-for-3 hitting for the Cowboys. Sophomore pitcher Victor Mederos struck out five batters and allowed three runs in five innings.
Tredaway led the Sooners at the plate with three RBIs on 1-for-4 hitting. Sandlin recorded seven strikeouts and allowed three runs in four innings on the mound.