Essex delivers with late sprint, Pesca deals in OSU's 1-0 win against Sam Houston
OSU's offense manages only four hits, but Essex turns an error and a wheel play into the winning run
The moment the ball came off the bat, Ezra Essex sprinted.
No looking back. No second guessing. A dead sprint as if his life depended on it as soon as he heard contact from Campbell Smith’s bat on a two-out run-and-hit.
Moments later, Essex dove head-first toward home. The outstretched hands of Essex scraped the plate, evading the glove of Sam Houston State catcher Wes Baker with a classic swim move, scoring the go-ahead — and eventually, winning — run in Oklahoma State’s 1-0 win against Sam Houston State on Sunday at O’Brate Stadium.
One day removed from a home-run barrage that saw records set and a handful of career-firsts logged, OSU’s series finale against the Bearkats (4-7) fell upon the fingertips of Essex. One swing of the bat, one read, one costly error and one dead sprint from the freshman speedster. All of it culminated simultaneously and propelled the Cowboys (8-3) to a series sweep.
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“We were fortunate to win that game,” OSU coach Josh Holliday said. “Clearly, it’s just a compliment to the amazing game of baseball, for all that it is. It shows us how [things change] drastically from one game to the next. It’s a great reminder of how it is to stay focused on the task at hand and play them all individually.”
On a day where pitching excelled and the Stillwater wind howled inward, offense was minimal. Through five innings, OSU managed only two hits and struggled to execute offensively with runners in scoring position.
The Bearkats threatened in the top of the first, loading the bases with two outs. But OSU starting pitcher Mario Pesca froze Bearkats’ right fielder Parker Blackman with a curveball on the outside corner of the strike zone to strand the runners on base.
From that point on, it was smooth sailing for Pesca.
Inning by inning, Pesca dominated with precision and execution. He emulated that of what Holliday and pitching coach Blake Hawksworth had envisioned when naming him a weekend starter ahead of Opening Day. Sunday was stark contrast to his production through his prior two starts against Oklahoma and Grand Canyon.
“Definitely needed it, right?” Pesca said. “It felt good. It felt good to just (dominate) and win.”
A season-best outing — a career-high-tying eight strikeouts to only three hits, three walks and no runs through six innings of work and 99 total pitches — provided stability for the Cowboys. As Pesca stifled Bearkat hitters, OSU bought time to find its offensive breakthrough.
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In the bottom of the eighth, it happened.
Third baseman Alex Conover drew a lead-off walk but was thrown out attempting to steal second moments later. Essex, however, followed with an infield single to keep the inning alive.
Then came the defining moment.
With two outs and Essex already in motion, Smithwick — OSU’s starting catcher — lined a single to shallow left field. Bearkats’ left fielder Kirby Orth charged the ball, but bobbled it, providing precisely enough time for Essex to initiate his sprint toward home plate.
“Campbell put a nice swing on a ball,” Essex said. “After that, it’s just smooth sailing from there. I know I can run; that’s what I bring to the team. Once I knew the left fielder had dropped the ball, I knew I had a shot to be safe at home.”
Essex didn’t hesitate.
He rounded third and dove across the plate, avoiding the tag to score what ended up being the winning run.
"It was just a good old fashioned, 'Hey, we're gonna put it in play, get the runner moving here, try to make something happen,' type of play," Holliday said. "And obviously that works when the hitter puts the ball in play and then he hits it (to) a challenging zone, and the outfielder can't quite sell out.
"That's called a wheel play. Just keep wheeling it."
The run was unearned, but it came through pressure. And Essex was the root of it.
“Our execution once runners were on base in innings like five, six, seven, eight and nine just wasn’t very good,” Holliday said. “It took a clutch, two-out line-drive play, luckily with the right runner in motion, and a great roll of the dice to just try to make something happen. Because clearly the ball with any elevation to it today was just getting neutralized. Campbell was one of the few guys in the lineup that was able to get to the top of the ball, and he did it right there. And then obviously Ezra came around (and scored).”
Holliday hasn’t shied away from throwing his freshman into the line of fire early in the season. But time and time again, each freshman prospect has shown poise and handled such pressure. Essex included.
Now, with the Cowboys’ winning streak reaching seven games after Sunday, more opportunities should arise for Essex — and other Cowboy freshmen — over the season’s course.
“He can change the game with speed, and that’s where his dimension is,” Holliday said. “Whereas Sebastian (Norman) can change the game with strength, Ezra can do it with speed.
“When Ezra gets the bunt down and he runs the bases and then he’s playing defense, he can create some things. He’s a creator and facilitator of offense — like a pocket knife.”
In the bottom of the sixth, Essex had struck out via foul ball on a two-strike bunt attempt with a runner in scoring position. But the moment came full circle.
At long last, Essex attained his coveted moment of freshman triumph. One he said he’d been searching for since his first day on campus.
“Just happy because I knew that I needed to do something to pick the team up,” Essex said. “To be able to do that after not getting my job done was exciting. Every day, I tell myself I know I’m a speedster. If I’m able to get on base and just create opportunities for my guys, I know they’re gonna drive me in.
“It’s like the first big moment for me here at Oklahoma State. I think there’s going to be a lot more, but to get that first one out of the way was super cool.”
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