Oklahoma State Softball Drops Opener Against No. 5/6 Florida State

STILLWATER – The No. 3 Oklahoma State softball team saw its comeback bid fall just short against the No. 5/6 Florida State Seminoles, 7-5, Friday evening at Cowgirl Stadium.

With the loss, OSU fell to 18-2 and FSU moved to 21-3.

Two of the best pitchers in the nation faced off in Stillwater, with Kelly Maxwell and Kathryn Sandercock dueling in the circle. Maxwell pitched 5.1 innings, with six strikeouts as she gave way to Lexi Kilfoyl, who pitched 1.2 innings in relief.Florida State struck first, taking the lead in the second inning with a base-hit that scored one. Two innings later, a three-run blast from FSU catcher Michaela Edenfield extended the Seminoles lead to four.

The Cowgirls responded with a four-run inning of their own in the bottom of the fourth. A bases-loaded single from Chyenne Factor brought home Kiley Naomi to get the Cowgirls on the board. OSU was opportunistic in scoring its next three runs on an infield single from Morgyn Wynne, a fielders choice from Taylor Tuck and a bases-loaded walk from Rachel Becker.

The Cowgirls pounced on another opportunity in the fifth and took a 5-4 lead when Naomi scored on an FSU throwing error after leading off the inning with a double.

Florida State grabbed the lead right back in the sixth with a three-run inning. Two walks and a base-hit scored their first, tying the game at 5-5. A two-RBI single put the Seminoles out in front, 7-5.

Despite getting runners on second and third in the following inning, the Cowgirls couldn't capitalize, dropping game one 7-5.

Prior to tonight's contest, OSU was 61-6 at home since the beginning of the 2020 season.

The Cowgirls return to action at 2 p.m. CT tomorrow, March 11, for round two against the Seminoles. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ and heard on The Varsity Network.