Cowgirls Top Arizona State For Season Opening Victory

TEMPE, Ariz. – In its 2022 season opener, the No. 5/4 Oklahoma State softball team defeated No. 21/21 Arizona State, 5-2.

The season opening victory on the road against a ranked opponent marks the Cowgirls first since a 1-0 win over No. 11 Stanford in 2009.

In the OSU half of the third, a properly placed bunt from Chyenne Factor and heads up base running from Chelsea Alexander put the Cowgirls on the board first.

Later that same inning, returning All-American Hayley Busby busted the game wide open with a three-run home run to put Oklahoma State comfortably ahead early on.

Factor contributed another scoring at-bat in the Cowgirls’ half of the fifth with a solo homer that added some insurance to the OSU lead.

Redshirt junior lefty Kelly Maxwell ­­– a member of the 2022 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watchlist – led things off in the circle for the Cowgirls. She fanned seven and allowed a single hit in five innings of work.

In the sixth, 2022 preseason All-American Miranda Elish stepped in for relief duties. The Sun Devils were able to string together a handful of hits to push across two runs, but Elish ended her appearance with a pair of strikeouts to kill ASU momentum.

For the final three outs of the contest, 2021 All-MVC first team member and former Illinois State pitcher Morgan Day stepped in and closed the door on Arizona State to secure the Oklahoma State’s victory.

The Cowgirls are back at it tomorrow for day two of the Kajikawa Classic; they’re slated to take on reigning ACC Champion No. 20/18 Duke at 12:30 p.m. CT and Utah at 3 p.m. CT.