Phillips delivers in relief as Cowboys top Sooners 7-3 in Bedlam clash
Smithwick hits two home runs as OSU's offense powers eight-inning win in Tulsa
TULSA, Okla. — Josh Holliday motioned toward the visitor's bullpen seconds after speaking with starting pitcher TP Wentworth.
Holliday, Oklahoma State's head coach, didn't need a full discourse with his two-way left-hander to know a pitching change was needed. It was evident seconds into the conversation.
Seconds before, Wentworth slipped on the mound when throwing a 2-2 pitch to Oklahoma's Brendan Brock. He fell to the ground, grasping the forearm of his throwing arm as he rose to his feet. Moments later, he exited the mound, accompanied by Holliday and athletic trainers, forcing an unforeseen pitching change.
The Cowboys have endured immense misfortune with injuries over the course of the season. That was no different Tuesday during their eventual 7-3 weather-shortened win against Bedlam rival and 14th-ranked Oklahoma through eight innings at ONEOK Field.
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But Wentworth's abrupt exit paved the way for another arm to flash a season-best outing. And in came Brennan Phillips moments later to weather the storm.
The Cowboys' senior left-hander has endured his share of struggles on the mound this season. Against the Sooners (24-12, 7-8 SEC), he dazzled — on short notice, minimal warmup time and amid hazardous weather conditions.
On a 3-2 count, Phillips froze Brock with a four-seam fastball on the inside corner. Shortly after, he drew a weak-contact groundout from Sooner freshman Alec Blair to end the frame and maintain a 7-0 advantage for the Cowboys (23-14, 7-8 Big 12).
It was smooth sailing from that point for Phillips.
The southpaw retired 7 of his next 12 OU batters, striking out a season-high four along the way. When he endured base traffic, Phillips — 4 Ks, 2 H, 0 BB and 0 ER through 3 2/3 IP and 45 pitches — leaned on the double play ball, drawing two to neutralize such threats and keep the Sooners scoreless.
An early offensive eruption and a home-run heavy night at the plate provided a cushion for OSU, but Phillips' heroics on the mound over the middle innings guided the Cowboys to a resume-boosting win against their archrivals.
Conversely, OSU is likely to be without Wentworth — a hot bat and vital relief arm — for some time. To make matters worse, the Cowboys are already without ace lefty Hudson Barrett and sophomore closer Noah Wech for the foreseeable future. Wentworth's abrupt injury was merely emblematic of the team's luck with pitching health this season.
But for now, Holliday and the Cowboys can find solace in Phillips' stellar outing on Tuesday. A veteran finding his groove on the mound down the stretch of the season is often a promising sign. And moving forward, Phillips might be an arm the Cowboys will rely on in high-leverage moments. After all, they might not have a choice.
But if Tuesday indicates anything, it's that Phillips will be up for that task.
Smithwick blasts two homers, Cowboys hit four as a team
Kollin Ritchie ignited OSU's offense with a two-run homer to right field, commencing the Cowboys' onslaught on Tuesday.
Two at-bats later, Campbell Smithwick joined in on the hitting barrage. On a 1-2 count, the Cowboys' catcher unloaded on a hanging changeup from OU righty Michael Catalano, clearing the right field wall on a line to make it 3-0 OSU.
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But that wasn't the last of Smithwick's offensive contributions.
In the top of the fourth, Smithwick homered off the batter's eye in straightaway center field to make it 4-0, marking his first two-homer game as a Cowboy. It set up another two-run bomb later in the frame, which made it 6-0 OSU.
Two innings later, he picked up where he left off. Smithwick led off the top of the sixth with an infield single and made his way around the base paths off three wild pitches to make it 7-0 and finalize OSU's scoring on the night.
Four home runs and 7 hits was all the Cowboys needed to best the Sooners. While Holliday hasn't been coy about his preference to be less reliant on home runs to spark offensive production, it sufficed on Tuesday.
OSU clinched a noteworthy win from a resume standpoint and boosted its chances for an at-large bid come regional play. And for now, that matters most.
Shull finding stride at the plate
The past two weeks from Garrett Shull offensively couldn't be more opposite.
As of late, the sophomore utility player has been a key offensive piece within OSU's lineup. But it didn't come without early adversity.
Shull struggled, starting the season 2-for-29 (.069 batting average) as strikeouts were a common occurrence. Opposing pitchers would load the strike zone with breaking pitches on the outside corner, besting Shull with relative ease.
Now, he's owning those outside breaking pitches.
He's posted a hit in eight of his last 11 games. That included a clutch, two-out, three-run homer in the top of the ninth of OSU's series finale at Kansas State, helping the Cowboys prevent a series sweep. And most recently, a two-run bomb — also off a curveball on the outside corner — in the top of the fourth inning in Tuesday's Bedlam win.
He's raised his batting average to .188 and has become what Holliday envisioned when Shull was signed as a top-50 national recruit in the 2024 class. And perhaps most importantly, he's been at the forefront of a recent offensive tear for the Cowboys.
"He's an even-keeled kid," Holliday said Sunday. "He's a very steady kid. When his heartbeat is right, he's on. It's just a matter of him waiting for the right pitch to hit, and he's been doing that lately."
No OSU players or coaches were made available to the media postgame due to hazardous weather conditions.
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