STILLWATER — Reynolds Stadium is regularly referred to as a bandbox, a hitter's park carrying a reputation built on decades of Oklahoma State sluggers soaring balls over the outfield walls.
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In that regard, Cowboys pitcher Andy Oliver made history Friday night.
And he might have paved his own promising future, too, firing blanks at No. 6 Nebraska in a 1-0 win to open a Big 12 weekend showdown.
In the first 1-0 game in the history of Reynolds Stadium — dating back to April 4, 1981 — Oliver, improving to 3-2, matched a career high with 10 strikeouts in a complete-game gem. The sophomore left-hander carried a no-hitter through five innings, before finishing with a three-hitter.
"He's something special, he really is,” said Cowboys shortstop Jordy Mercer, who drove in the game's only run. "And he showed it tonight. He was really good. Really good.”
Oliver had to be good, with Huskers ace Johnny Dorn also going strong on the mound. Dorn, who lost for the first time to fall to 4-1, allowed just four hits and struck out seven in going the distance as well.
And he probably deserved a better fate. OSU's run came after a fly ball off the bat of Michael Dabbs was dropped by Huskers center fielder Bryce Nimmo, who slipped on a patch of wet turf that has been soaked by days of rainfall this week. Mercer followed with a ground ball to left field past a drawn-in infield.
"I had it,” Nimmo said, "and my foot came out from underneath me. I really don't know what happened. I was right there. I should have had it...
"It wasn't wet in many spots, but apparently it was wet there.”
That was all the support Oliver needed; and plenty to wreck Dorn's own splendid performance.
"I thought he threw extremely well, and Oliver threw extremely well,” said Nebraska coach Mike Anderson. "It boiled down to somebody slipping in the outfield.
"That's one of those things.”
Friday could turn out to be a big thing for the Cowboys and Oliver.
Hoping to make a move up the Big 12 standings with three of its next four league series in Stillwater, No. 21-ranked OSU claimed Game 1 of a key series with first-place Nebraska.
The Cowboys, 22-9 overall, moved over .500 in conference play for the first time at 7-6. The Huskers dropped to 24-5-1 and 10-2-1.
Game 2 of the series is set for 1 p.m. today.
For Oliver, it was the kind of performance the Cowboys have been looking for since they signed the former prep star from Vermillion, Ohio. A 17th-round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins out of high school, Oliver has been up and down as a Cowboy, mainly due to control issues.
Against the Huskers, Oliver didn't walk a batter, facing just two batters over the minimum in going nine innings for the first time in his life.
"I thought from the get-go, when he went out there in the first inning, he looked good,” said Cowboys coach Frank Anderson. "His eyes looked right. He was locked in pretty good. But he was going to have to be because of Dorn.”
Even as Oliver ventured into uncharted territory in the eighth and ninth innings, he looked strong. A leadoff single and sacrifice put the tying run at second for Nebraska in the ninth, but Oliver got D.J. Belfonte to pop out to first base, then fanned Brett Sowers on a called third strike to end it.
"I had some adrenaline running, definitely, through the eighth and the ninth,” Oliver said. "I wanted to get the game over with and get the win.”
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