Wild sixth inning lifts OSU past South Dakota State in midweek series opener

When addressing reporters postgame, Josh Holliday cited Vin Scully’s classic baseball adage to close.

“In the history of this franchise, nothing has come easy.”

The OSU coach, now in his 14th season at the helm, witnessed that firsthand Tuesday night. The Cowboys trailed most of the game, endured offensive stagnancies and mid-game execution woes. Yet, one crooked inning — a five-run bottom of the sixth — was enough for OSU in a 7-6 win against South Dakota State in the first of a two-game midweek set.

Holliday has often marveled over the fickle nature of the sport. One day, home runs and extra-base hits can come in abundance. The next, strikeouts and sparse hit totals cloud the stat sheets, while a pitcher’s duel can highlight the contest.

Tuesday merely emphasized that reality. Despite the talent discrepancy on paper, the Cowboys were forced to grind through a grueling contest that never tilted in their favor until late. It reinforced precisely how unpredictable baseball can be. And in turn, Holliday was unapologetic toward the win, regardless of the manner it came in. 

“I understand obviously record wise and all of that other stuff that it would appear as if we were the favorites and should win this game easily,” Holliday said. “But baseball is different, and it doesn’t always play out that way. So, we’ll take that one.”

The Jackrabbits (5-15) drew first blood in the top of the third, courtesy of a leadoff home run into the visitor’s bullpen from Luke Luskey. The Cowboys (13-7) responded in the bottom of the fourth with consecutive two-out hits from first baseman Colin Brueggemann and freshman designated hitter Sebastian Norman to make it 2-1. 

But SDSU plated four more runs over the top halves of the fifth and sixth to take a 5-2 lead. Offensive production had gone dull for OSU up to that point, managing only three hits. The team’s strikeout total ballooned by the inning. And a comeback felt more far-fetched as the game progressed.

Until the bottom of the sixth.

Catcher Campbell Smithwick kickstarted things after reaching base on a throwing error and moved into scoring position. Brueggemann followed with a walk, and Norman worked another to load the bases.

Three straight walks tied the game at 5, as OSU had already plated three runs without logging a hit.

Then came the defining moment.

On a 2-1 count, left fielder Alex Conover’s swing got underneath an elevated four-seam fastball, skying it to shallow left field. Initially, Conover said, he thought the ball would hook into foul territory.

“I was a little worried,” Conover said. “That’s usually my luck.”

But slow stroll swiftly turned into a jog toward first base. And once the ball dropped fair, Conover was sprinting toward second base for a 2-RBI double. 

“I’m glad that those jam shots fall sometimes, too, so that helped us out a little bit,” Comover said with a laugh. “That one found the carpet, so I can’t complain at all. I’ll take those every day.”

So did the Cowboys, who did just enough to scrape by, thanks to Conover’s unorthodox bloop double.

The Jackrabbits threatened again in the top of the ninth, but junior righty Kai Fyke finalized a stellar three-inning, five-strikeout relief outing, limiting SDSU to only one run off a fielder's choice.

In a game where nothing came with ease, the Cowboys weren’t afforded the luxury of playing clean, complete baseball. Instead, they leaned on timely breaks and late execution, which paid dividends in the end.

“It was weird — we had a lot of chances to really drill that starting pitcher, and we didn’t, we missed,” Conover said. “...We just had to find a way to create some stuff. Balls were getting knocked down (by the wind), some of our guys hit some line drives right to their outfielders. So, just some tough baseball.

“The most important thing is obviously that we found a way to get it done and found a way to win.”

It didn’t come easy, nor did it come in an orthodox fashion. Still, the Cowboys did enough to win. And for now, at least, Holliday said he finds solace in that. 

“We were very sluggish out of the gate, the kids are fighting very hard right now and they’re trying to get their legs back underneath them, but it is what it is,” Holliday said. “But we won the game. You’ll never apologize for winning and you’ll never give them back. That was a tough one for us, but we found a way to win.”