Oklahoma State dominates Niagara in the Stillwater region

The Cowboys blanked fourth-ranked Niagara 19-7 in Round 1 of the Stillwater Regional. It marked OSU’s first win in a regional game since 2022 after going 0-2 in its own regional a year ago.

OSU (41-17) put up 10 runs over the first three offensive frames to take a 1 10-1 lead into the fourth inning. The left-hander got off to a strong start, retiring seven of the first 10 batters he faced.

But command struggles for the middle innings of the game forced him out of the game before the fourth inning was over. The Purple Eagles (38-16) cut the deficit to 11-5 after the fourth inning.

Sam Garcia recorded five hits while surrendering six hits, one walk and five earned runs through 3 ⅔ innings of work and 65 total pitches.

With OSU’s offense exposed, the onus to carry the load fell on the offense, which answered the call.

The Cowboys had 15 hits to go with two runs at home. Nine different prospects have scored a hit over the course of the game. Left fielder Carson Benge and center fielder Zach Ehrhard led all hitters with three each on the night.

With the win, the Cowboys face third-seeded Florida tomorrow at 5 p.m. The winner of that game advances to the championship round of the Stillwater Regional.