'We were the aggressors': How Daton Fix, Oklahoma State wrestling upset Michigan in Bout at the Ballpark

ARLINGTON, Texas — With Michigan wrestler Dylan Ragusin face down on the mat and Oklahoma State’s Daton Fix planted firmly on top of him, Cowboy coach John Smith yelled at the referee.

“Let ‘em wrestle! Let ‘em wrestle!” he screamed.

While there appeared to be no significant action happening, Smith didn’t want to see the referee call a stalemate to halt the match. Smith knew what his All-American was capable of.

And moments later, Fix flipped Ragusin to his back and pinned him for the sealing victory in 11th-ranked OSU’s 24-15 upset of No. 6 Michigan in the second annual Bout at the Ballpark on Friday night at Globe Life Field.

Fix flexed for the crowd then led the orange-clad fans among the crowd of 2,084 people in an O-S-U chant before being joined on the mat by his teammates to celebrate the important victory.

“The way my team wrestled all night, they motivated me,” Fix said. “We were the aggressors.

“We just gotta keep doing that. This is a big win for us. We just gotta embrace it and run with it.”

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The Cowboys are now 10-2 in duals this season and get no time to rest, with eighth-ranked Missouri coming to Gallagher-Iba Arena for a Big 12 showdown at 2 p.m. Sunday.

After suffering a lopsided defeat to Iowa in last year’s Bout at the Ballpark, the Cowboys jumped out to a strong start this time around. While the crowd wasn’t as big as last year, OSU fans were strong in their support from the start.

The setting was more fan-friendly as well. Last year, the mat was near second base on the Texas Rangers’ baseball diamond, but on Friday, it was staged closer to home plate, giving the fans in the bleachers a better view.

And they liked what they saw from the Cowboys, who finished the dual with a 16-2 edge in takedowns. Michigan’s first takedown came in the night’s eighth match.

The Cowboys jumped to an 11-3 lead when 165-pound super-senior Wyatt Sheets dominated Juaquin Consuelos in an 18-0 technical fall at the 4:22 mark. OSU’s Dustin Plott followed with a 12-4 major decision at 174.

Michigan fought back with a tough 5-3 decision by top-ranked heavyweight Mason Parris over OSU’s Konner Doucet, followed by Jack Medley’s overtime pin of Reece Witcraft.

That brought Michigan within 18-15, setting the stage for Fix’s climactic victory.

Though Doucet and Witcraft both lost, their performances in difficult circumstances were quite significant.

Going against the nation’s top heavyweight, Doucet got a first-period takedown to tie the match at 3 before Parris finished it off.

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“That’s a good heavyweight and he’s proven it over and over again,” Smith said. “For Doucet… I was really pleased with his effort. There was a level of confidence there that we haven’t seen a lot and it should help him as he goes forward.”

Smith called Witcraft the “hero” of the night, despite getting pinned in the sudden-victory overtime period. Witcraft had been Fix’s backup at 133 pounds until 125-pound starter Trevor Mastrogiovanni got injured, at which point Witcraft began cutting weight.

Friday was his first start, and though he didn’t score a takedown and appeared to cramp up a couple of times, he still took a top-20 opponent to overtime before running out of gas.

“He made a little bit of a mistake, but good effort,” Smith said. “He’s gonna grow from this. He’ll be better from it. I think everyone saw there’s some potential there that could really help us.”

With Missouri looming on Sunday and the Big 12 Championships a month away, Smith wants to see his Cowboys refocus and build off a valuable win.

“We just need to embrace it,” Smith said. “We’ve got some tough matches left. Just take it one week at a time, continue to improve and try to climb the ladder in the rankings.”

More:Why Oklahoma State wrestler Konner Doucet has been 'a nice surprise' at heavyweight

Friday’s results

Bout at the Ballpark

At Globe Life Field, Arlington, Texas

OKLAHOMA STATE 24, MICHIGAN 15

125: Jack Medley, Mich., pinned Reece Witcraft, 7:40

133: Daton Fix, OSU, pinned Dylan Ragusin, 2:25

141: Carter Young, OSU, dec. Pat Nolan, 9-3

149: Victor Voinovich, OSU, dec. Fidel Mayora, 4-0

157: Will Lewan, Mich., dec. Kaden Gfeller, 3-2, tiebreaker

165: Wyatt Sheets, OSU, tech. fall, Juaquin Consuelos, 4:22

174: Dustin Plott, OSU, major dec. Max Maylor, 12-4

184: Matt Finesilver, Mich., dec. Travis Wittlake, 2-0

197: Luke Surber, OSU, dec. Rylan Rogers, 6-2

HWT: Mason Parris, Mich., dec. Konner Doucet, 5-3

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State wrestling upsets Michigan in Bout at the Ballpark