No. 23 Cowgirls Softball Takes No. 10 UCLA and No. 8 Texas A&M in Clearwater
(This story was written and distributed by Oklahoma State University Athletic Media Relations.)
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Oklahoma State softball team claimed a 4-3 walk-off victory in extra innings over No. 6 UCLA at the Clearwater Invitational Friday afternoon. It was the Cowgirls' second win over a top-10 opponent on the day, as OSU knocked off No. 8 Texas A&M just a few hours earlier.
With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, a hard-hit ball off the bat of Jayden Jones forced Bruin second baseman Kaniya Bragg to dive to her left to make a play. Bragg's desperation heave home while sprawling out on the ground wasn't enough to keep Rosie Davis from scoring the winning run.
The win improved the Cowgirls to 6-3 on the season, with UCLA dropping to 5-1 with the loss. It also marked just the fifth time in program history and the first time since 1994 that the Pokes beat a pair of top-10 opponents on the same day.
In addition to its wins over the eighth-ranked Aggies and the sixth-ranked Bruins Friday, the Cowgirls also beat No. 20 Georgia Thursday in day one action at the Clearwater Invitational. All three wins were gritty one-run victories.
UCLA entered the game having run-ruled each of its previous five opponents this season. The Bruins had a team batting average of .487 and had 23 home runs as a team (4.6 home runs per game). UCLA starter Taylor Tinsley had an 0.64 earned run average with 14 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched.
OSU never trailed in the contest, scoring three runs in the first inning, courtesy of a three-run home run from Davis. The Bruins scratched one run back in the second and another in the third to trim the Cowgirl advantage to 3-2. Bri Alejandre tied the game at three with a solo homer in the sixth. OSU had a chance to recapture the lead in the sixth and again in the seventh, but stranded runners on second and third in the sixth and left the bases loaded in the seventh.
Ruby Meylan struck out the side in the eighth to position the Cowgirls to win it in the bottom half of the inning.
Meylan (2-2) was credited with the win, but starter Preslee Downing (one run allowed in 1.2 innings of work) and RyLee Crandall (one run allowed in 3.1 innings of work) were also effective in slowing down the UCLA offense. Meylan struck out six and allowed just one run in three innings of relief work. Tinsley (2-1) took the loss for the Bruins.
Oklahoma State wraps up play at the Clearwater Invitational when it takes on No. 22/19 Duke at 9 a.m. tomorrow. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
Boxscore available here.
