Published: March 24, 2008 01:35 am            

Cowboys win series with A&M

STILLWATER, Okla. — Getting eight solid innings of pitching from sophomore righthander Tyler Blandford and a five-RBI day from outfielder Michael Dabbs, Oklahoma State grabbed the rubber game of a Big 12 conference series with Texas A&M, 6-4, Easter Sunday in Allie Reynolds Stadium.

A chilling north wind restricted the crowd to 842 as Blandford upped his personal record to 3-1 and the Cowboys, now 15-6 overall, leveled their Big 12 standard at 3-3 to draw even with the Aggies (17-6, 3-3) in conference play.

OSU rests only one day before a Tuesday-Wednesday series, in Reynolds Stadium, with No. 2 Arizona. Both games with the Wildcats are evening confrontations starting at 6:30 p.m.

Blandford struggled somewhat in the first inning when the Aggies worked him for a pair of runs on a walk and RBI singles by Dane Carter and Jose Duran. Then he settled down to blank the power-hitting visitors for five innings while his teammates dented three A&M hurlers for a half-dozen runs.

“I had a little trouble getting settled down in the first inning,” Blandford said. “I just didn’t feel comfortable at first but then I started locating my pitches a lot better and that settled me down. It was nice to win the series, particularly after losing the first game. It shows the kind of heart our team has. Our defense made some great plays behind me and that helped me adjust quicker than anything.”

After the first frame the Aggies couldn’t post more than one hit in any inning although the solo home runs by Anders and Carter didn’t come until the Cowboys had rattled three A&M pitchers for a 6-2 advantage.

When coach Frank Anderson was asked if he expected Blandford’s lengthy mound performance, he smiled and quickly replied, “No, not at all. We hoped to get five, maybe six innings from him because we needed it the way our schedule is set up with mid-week games.

“It not only helps our pitching rotation; it builds confidence in our pitchers and entire team.”

Dabbs regained the lead for the Pokes when he followed singles by Neil Medchill and Thomas Belza with a towering home run over the right-field fence in the third inning.

Dabbs fattened the Cowboy advantage with a triple in the sixth that plated Belza and Medchill again.

After eight innings, Blandford was lifted in favor of Matt Peck. Peck nicked an A&M batter in the ninth but had no other trouble bringing the rubber game to a quick end.

Medchill went 3-for-4, including a double, to lead the Pokes offensively and Rebel Ridling was 2-for-4, including a solo home run in the fourth. Ridling’s dinger, his sixth of the year, tied him with Tyrone Hambly for the most by a Cowboy this season.



Pat Quinn writes for Stillwater (Okla.) NewsPress.

        

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