STILLWATER — As quickly as Garrett Benge gave Oklahoma State life, West Virginia squashed it.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Benge sent a home run over the right-field fence, driving in two runs and bringing the Cowboys within one. The next play, Colin Simpson popped out to third base.
It was the culmination of a desperate rally, OSU just shy of a complete comeback, falling 9-8 to West Virginia on Sunday at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium to drop the Big 12 series 2-1.
The Mountaineers went up big after Chase Ilig hit a grand slam in the third to turn a tie game into a four-run lead.