Published: May 04, 2008 12:13 am            

DH sweep moves streak to 12

• Series finale today at 1

There’s a reason Robbie Weinhardt prefers coming out of the bullpen as opposed to starting.

The Oklahoma State senior put that reason on display Saturday.

He earned his third save of the year as the No. 9 Cowboys defeated Utah Valley State, 9-4, in the second game of a doubleheader in front of 1,210 fans at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium. In the final three innings, Weinhardt allowed no runs and just one hit while striking out seven.

“I really wanted to wait (on bringing in Weinhardt) but (the Wolverines) kept coming back and they made some great plays in the outfield that kept us from spreading the lead,” said OSU coach Frank Anderson.

“I wanted to bring somebody in who I felt like could stop the thing, and he did a good job of doing that.”

The Cowboys (35-11) held a 9-1 advantage after five innings, but UVS narrowed the gap in the sixth courtesy of Scott Croshaw’s RBI double and a two-run single by Josh Hinckley.

In the seventh, Weinhardt relieved junior Jared Starks, a former Stillwater High standout, and fanned four of the first five hitters he faced. In addition, the right-hander walked just one batter and helped OSU win its 12th straight game — the program’s longest winning streak since 1998.

“When (Weinhardt) comes in, we have faith in him to shut it down,” said sophomore Dylan Brown. “He does what he needs to do and that’s why he’s a good pitcher.”

Weinhardt leads the Cowboys in appearances (16) this season and has compiled a 4-0 record with a 2.76 ERA. The Pearland, Texas, native has struck out 50 batters in 291⁄3 innings of work as a reliever.

“I had some mechanical issues that I’ve worked on a little bit, but other than that, nothing’s really changed,” Weinhardt said. “I just like to get out there on the mound, it doesn’t really matter if I start or come out of the bullpen. I think my comfort level is a little better in the bullpen.”

With the score tied at 1-1 in the third, junior Donnie Webb recorded a solo home run which sparked a seven-run inning for the Cowboys. Webb, who leads the club in doubles (14), triples (three) and stolen bases (13), finished 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.

Brown and junior Jordy Mercer each went 2-for-4 with a double while senior Matt Hague went 2-for-2. Senior Matt Gardner hurled the first five innings — giving up eight hits and four runs with no walks — and improved to 5-2 with the victory.

“I thought (Gardner) threw pretty good for three or four innings,” Anderson said. “Whenever you get in a situation where (a team) score a bunch of runs and you have to just sit there, it’s always tough to come back out and I thought that may have been part of his deal.”

O-State earned a 6-3 win in Saturday’s opener. An RBI single by freshman Dean Green gave the Cowboys a 1-0 advantage in the first, but UVS (12-31-1) posted three runs in the third to take its first lead of the weekend.

However, senior Rebel Ridling ended the Wolverine celebration as he led off the fourth with his team-leading 12th homer of the season. Mercer’s sacrifice fly tied the contest at 3-3, and an RBI single by freshman Thomas Belza in the fifth put OSU back on top.

Green went 3-for-4, freshman Davis Duren went 3-for-5 and Belza had a 2-for-3 performance. Hague went 1-for-3 with a solo round-tripper in the sixth. On the mound, sophomore Tyler Lyons improved to 8-2 after hurling 72⁄3 innings and allowing 10 hits and three runs.

Junior Matt Peck, a Cimarron High product, threw the final 11⁄3 innings and earned his fourth save of the season.

“Our team is clicking as a whole, and that’s something I don’t think we did last year,” Weinhardt said.

The Cowboys go for their third straight weekend sweep at 1 p.m. today.

        

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