Meola Homers in 5th Straight as OSU Tops UCA 14-3

Oftentimes, a crooked-number does the trick.

That was the case for Oklahoma State on Tuesday. A double-digit fourth inning, stellar offensive production throughout the lineup and a complete effort from the pitching staff guided the Cowboys to a 14-3 run-rule win against Central Arkansas at O’Brate Stadium. And most importantly, it made for a fitting ending to a home opener.

After the Bears (5-4) plated one run in the top of the first, a two-run blast from junior center fielder Kollin Ritchie gave the Cowboys (5-3) the lead in the bottom half of the inning. One inning later, sophomore shortstop Brock Thompson extended the lead with a two-out RBI-single. From that point on, it was all OSU.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Tenth-inning avalanche lifts OSU to win

Sebastian Norman saw a pitch he liked, and unleashed.

His team led 5-1. Bases loaded. One out. One swing of the bat could drastically shift momentum in OSU’s favor. And it did.

On a hanging curveball from Central Arkansas left-hander Samuel Curtis, the freshman designated hitter roped it to shallow center field for a 2-RBI single. That commenced an offensive onslaught that derailed the inning for more than one hour.

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On the ensuing at-bat, freshman second baseman Terrance Bowen singled to left field to plate two more. Then came an RBI-base hit from another freshman. This one, left fielder Danny Wallace to score another run.

By that point, OSU led 10-1, and would only balloon its advantage.

The Cowboys plated 10 runs off six hits, a walk and hit batter. It marked OSU’s first double-digit offensive frame since May 18, 2024 in a 20-3 win at Houston.

Meola’s hot hand continues

This might be a two-for-one takeaway, but it deserves its own nugget.

How did the scoring in OSU’s 10-run fourth inning end? Unsurprisingly, a moonshot from Aidan Meola off the towering scoreboard in left field.

Meola’s two-out, solo blast marked his fifth home run in as many games. Tuesday’s homer measured at 106 mph off the bat for 423 feet, and it narrowly evaded clearing the scoreboard.

Meola finished the day 2-for-3 with 2 RBI from the plate. Dating back to OSU’s series opener at Grand Canyon on Feb. 19, Meola is hitting 10-for-22 (.455 BA) with 14 RBI. And most notably, he’s displayed no signs of his shoulder — which prematurely ended his true-senior campaign a season ago — hindering his hitting abilities.

Wentworth makes first start — Pesca flashes promise in first relief appearance

Two-way sophomore TP Wentworth made his first start of the season and showed flashes of brilliance.

Central Arkansas drew first blood off the first off a two-out, RBI-single from Landon Carter. But Wentworth settled in and stifled the Bears’ lineup moving forward.

In his second appearance on the mound, the sophomore righty struck out two, allowing two hits, two walks and the lone earned run. From a silver-lining standpoint, however, he made timely pitches that kept momentum in OSU’s favor. A two-strike slider, which drew an inning-ending flyout to center field from UCA’s Jack Runsick in the top of the first, highlighted that.

As a freshman at Clemson in 2025, Wentworth made 11 appearances on the bump. His five-strikeout, 8.00-ERA numbers might be unideal, but his stuff is notable.

Wentworth will likely be OSU’s primary right fielder over the season’s course. But his two-way ability provides depth to a relatively young Cowboy bullpen.

Replacing Wentworth in the third was veteran right-hander Mario Pesca. In his lone inning of work, Pesca worked around a one-out walk, striking out two and retiring the UCA side in four batters.

Which begs the question — should Pesca be utilized as a reliever moving forward?

His pitch ability and stuff are apparent. But Pesca fits the mold of a contact arm rather than a prototypical high-velocity, high-strikeout prospect.

He started OSU’s first two Saturdays this season, but struggled. Through both games, Pesca holds a 11.57 ERA with a .286 opponent batting average. His 1.15% strikeout-to-walk percentage is the most jarring statistic — for reference, anything above 3.0% is considered good.

Pesca made eight starts for the Cowboys in 2025. He logged 4.46 ERA and .261 opponent batting average holistically. But he was stellar through his 14 relief appearances.

Of course, it would be premature to call for a new Saturday starter. However, perhaps coach Josh Holliday is already thinking along those lines in bringing Pesca out of the bullpen.

Right-handers Kai Fyke, Zane Burns and Stormy Rhodes pitched the latter four frames, striking out three and surrendering no runs.