ATHENS, Ga. – Oklahoma State’s season came to an end in the NCAA Athens Regional finals Sunday night at Foley Field as the third-seeded Cowboys dropped a 3-2 contest to No. 2 seed Duke.

With the loss, the Cowboys concluded their season with a 30-25 mark, while Duke improved to 40-19. OSU had advanced to the Regional finals for the eighth time in 12 tournament appearances under head coach Josh Holliday by beating No. 7 national seed and host Georgia earlier in the day.

Kollin Ritchie and Brock Thompson each hit two-run home runs in the ninth, with Thompson’s opposite-field shot to left field providing the walk-off win.

Matthew Brown picked up his first collegiate win with a perfect inning of relief as he struck out the side with two runners in scoring position in the top of the ninth to set up the Cowboys for the comeback.

OSU starter Harrison Bodendorf worked five innings and allowed seven runs on six hits while striking out two.

The Cowboys jumped out to an early lead in its first at bat when Nolan Schubart smashed his 19th home run of the season, an opposite field solo shot over the wall in left field. The blast was the 59th of his career.

OSU added to its lead in the second. Alex Conover smashed his sixth homer of the season to right to make the score 2-0, and three batters later, Brayden Smith delivered a two-out RBI single to extend the advantage to three.

The lead did not hold up, however. In the third, UGA got a two-run homer from Slate Alford to make the score 3-2 before tying the game on an RBI double by Tre Phelps. The Bulldogs then went up 5-3 on a two-run homer off the bat of Christian Adams.

Trailing 7-3, the Pokes rallied to tie the score in the fifth. Two singles and a hit by pitch to open the inning loaded the bases, and a walk to Schubart brought home the first run. Up next, Ritchie picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice, and Colin Brueggemann’s infield single plated OSU’s sixth run. The Cowboys knotted the score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ian Daugherty.

UGA regained the lead in the seventh when, with runners on first and second and two outs, Adams blooped a single into left field to make the score 8-7.

The Bulldogs tacked on another run in the eighth to take a 9-7 advantage.

In the decisive ninth, Schubart drew a leadoff walk before Ritchie stepped to the plate and drilled a pitch over the right-field wall to tie the score.

Following a Brueggemann single, the Bulldogs recorded two outs. But Thompson stepped to the plate and delivered an 0-1 pitch over the wall for his eighth homer of the season to set off the OSU celebration.

Against Duke, OSU took the game’s first lead in the fourth. After Nolan Schubart drew a leadoff walk, Ritchie followed and smashed a pitch over the right field wall for his fifth home run of the Regional and 14th of the season.

That lead held up as Noah Wech dominated the Blue Devils’ lineup. The freshman right-hander, making only his second start of the season, worked six shutout innings and allowed just five hits while striking out five and not issuing a walk.

The Cowboys maintained the two-run advantage until the eighth when Duke’s A.J. Gracia homered to left-centerfield; the solo blast came off Ryan Ure and cut the Cowboys’ advantage to one.

After Ure gave up a hit and a walk, Mario Pesca came out of the bullpen and struck out Tyler Albright for the second out of the inning. But up next, Sam Harris singled to right-center field and both Duke runners came home to put the Blue Devils up, 3-2.

In the ninth, Duke’s Reid Easterly retired the Cowboys in order to secure the win.

OSU had three players named to the NCAA Athens Regional All-Tournament Team, with Ritchie, Schubart and Brayden Smith making the list. Ritchie hit .538 with five homers and 10 RBIs in the Cowboys’ four games, while Schubart went 7-for-14 and homered twice.

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