AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (Interstat) — Aidan Meola drove in four runs with a home run and a single, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys defeated the Arizona Wildcats 7-5 on Saturday afternoon at O’Brate Stadium in a Big 12 conference matchup.

Oklahoma State improved to 36-19 overall and 18-11 in the Big 12. Arizona fell to 19-34 and 7-22.

Meola, the designated hitter, went 2 for 4 with a home run and four RBIs, becoming the game’s top star. He homered for the second time in as many days, following a two-RBI performance Friday in the Cowboys’ 13-1 win over Arizona. Meola also singled in the first inning to drive in a run.

The Wildcats jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two and a half innings, capitalizing on an early error. Arizona loaded the bases in the second inning on a bunt single by Dawson Meurant, a single by Tyrese Forbes and an RBI single by Chris Adams that scored Meurant. That made it 1-0 Arizona.

In the third, the Wildcats added four runs. Brayden Cain singled, then Kade Lira doubled to put runners at second and third. Dominic Mihalakis lifted a sacrifice fly to deep center, scoring Cain. Dom Rodriguez followed with a sacrifice fly to left, bringing home Lira. The inning could have been bigger, but the next two batters made outs.

Arizona starter Jack Lafflam threw two innings, allowing one run on one hit with two strikeouts, but the Wildcats bullpen struggled in the fourth. Lafflam was replaced by Colin McKinney after two innings.

Oklahoma State answered in the bottom of the fourth. Carson Brueggemann led off with a solo home run, his 16th of the season. After an out, Kaden Shull walked and Dom hit his first home run of the year, a two-run shot to right center that cut the deficit to 5-4. Conover walked, and after a pitching change to Patrick Morris, Thompson reached on a fielder’s choice, and Ritchie singled. Meola then launched a three-run homer to left field, his 17th of the season, scoring Thompson and Ritchie and giving Oklahoma State a 7-5 lead.

That four-run inning, highlighted by three home runs, proved decisive. Arizona’s bullpen – Morris, McKinney, Lafflam, Garrett Hicks and Remo Martinez – combined for four earned runs over seven innings. Morris took the loss, allowing two runs in 2⅔ innings.

Arizona tried to rally in the fifth. Cain led off with a ground-rule double, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on Rodriguez’s two-run homer to left center, his second of the season, making it 7-5. But that was the last time the Wildcats scored.

Oklahoma State starter Stormy Rhodes went seven innings, allowing five runs on eight hits with six strikeouts. Noah Wech pitched a scoreless eighth, allowing one hit and striking out two, and Mario Pesca closed the ninth with a hitless inning, striking out one and allowing a single.

Arizona had chances in the eighth and ninth. In the eighth, Mihalakis singled with one out, but was left stranded. In the ninth, Adams singled with one out against Pesca, but Novitske flied out and Cain flied out to deep center to end the game.

The Wildcats outhit the Cowboys 10-9 but left six runners on base and committed one error. Arizona made two sacrifice flies. Oklahoma State’s defense was clean.

The most important sequence of the game came in the bottom of the fourth, when the Cowboys erased a five-run deficit with a four-run outburst, seizing control of the game.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Oklahoma State 7, Arizona 3. Interstat’s ELO system gave Oklahoma State a 67.50 percent probability to win. Oklahoma State had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-3.5.