STILLWATER, Okla. (Interstat) — The Oklahoma State Cowboys erupted for 10 runs in a marathon fourth inning to turn a close game into a rout, defeating the Central Arkansas Bears 14-3 in nonconference baseball Tuesday at O’Brate Stadium.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded in the evening, saw the Bears strike first with a run in the opening inning. Kade Carter’s two-out single scored Drew Negre, who had doubled, to give Central Arkansas an early lead.

Oklahoma State answered immediately in the bottom half. After a leadoff error, Kollin Ritchie connected for a two-run homer to right-center field, his sixth of the season, to put the Cowboys ahead.

Central Arkansas tied the game in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Connor Schattle, capitalizing on an Oklahoma State error. That 3-3 stalemate was short-lived.

The bottom of the fourth inning proved to be the decisive and most important part of the contest. The Cowboys sent 15 batters to the plate, scoring 10 runs on six hits, three walks, a hit batter, and they benefited from two Central Arkansas errors. The inning featured a two-run single by Carson Norman, a two-run double by Danny Wallace, an RBI double by Jaxson Conover, an RBI double by Ritchie, and was capped by a two-run home run from Aidan Meola, his fifth of the year.

Ritchie, the top star for Oklahoma State, finished 2 for 3 with the home run, a double, three RBIs and three runs scored. Meola also went 2 for 3 with the two-run blast. Wallace contributed two hits and two RBIs.

The Cowboys’ bullpen was dominant after starter TP Wentworth allowed three runs, two earned, over two innings. Mario Pesca, Stormy Rhodes and Zane Burns combined for three perfect innings of relief, striking out five. Tobin Cantrill provided a bright spot for Central Arkansas with two scoreless innings of relief.

Central Arkansas managed only four hits total, with Carter and Hunter Runsick each driving in a run. Bears starter Jacob Pannell took the loss.

With the win, Oklahoma State improved to 5-3 on the season. Central Arkansas fell to 5-4.

The result defied the projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 7-6 victory for Central Arkansas, though the organization’s ELO system gave the Cowboys an 86.7% probability to win.

Oklahoma State next hosts Sam Houston for a three-game series starting Friday. Central Arkansas returns home to face South Dakota State in a three-game set beginning Friday.