STILLWATER – Oklahoma State hosted the Texas Rangers Instructional League team in a fall exhibition game Monday, and the Cowboys were 8-1 winners at O’Brate Stadium.
Tyler Wulfert and Nolan McLean homered, and 10 Cowboy pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts in the 10 inning contest.
OSU jumped in the lead early when Wulfert, a JUCO transfer, smashed a two-out grand slam in the first inning. The Cowboys had loaded the bases on three-straight walks with one out.
Wulfert’s blast came on the heels of a standout outing from Juaron Watts-Brown, a transfer who was a Freshman All-American at Long Beach State last season. The righty struck out all three batters he faced in the opening inning.
The Rangers got their lone run of the game in the third as Anthony Gutierrez brought home a run with a single to make the score 4-1.
OSU increased its lead via the long ball in the sixth as McLean delivered a two-run shot off the overhang in center field. McLean is coming off an All-American season in which he led the Pokes with 19 home runs.
The Cowboys’ final runs of the contest came when Roc Riggio, a Freshman All-American a year ago, blooped a single to center field to plate two in the eighth.
OSU used a different pitcher in each inning, with Ben Abram, Ryan Ure and Brant Hogue each recording two strikeouts.
Wulfert led the offense with a 3-for-4 performance for an OSU club that outhit the visitors by a 7-5 margin.
