STILLWATER – The No. 6 seeded Oklahoma State Cowgirls continued their hot streak through the Stillwater Regional as they beat the Wichita State Shockers, 6-0.
With the win, the Cowgirls moved to 43-14 overall. This also marked the first win over the Shockers this season.
“Obviously, really good softball game,” said head coach Kenny Gajewski following OSU’s 6-0 win over Wichita State. “We’ve been talking about defense, limiting walks, we’re doing that. I thought the game just started out well with Lexi [Kilfoyl] and the way that she came out and just pounded the strike zone. I don’t know if they got a leadoff batter on in the whole game, I think through five [innings] they didn’t. So, that was a big deal to keep McKinney and Barnard off the bags. Then when you’ve got [Megan Bloodworth] over here making plays and swinging the bat the way she is, she could easily be 6-for-6 in this regional just hammering balls. Just a good team win.”
Senior pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl got the start in the circle for the Cowgirls and the win as she went 6.0 innings, giving up just four hits, no runs with six strikeouts and just one walk. She recorded nine flyouts and six groundouts.
Micaela Wark went 2-for-3 with one RBI and Rachel Becker went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks and two runs scored.
Megan Bloodworth, Kiley Naomi, Wark, Katelynn Carwile, Morgyn Wynne and Taylor Tuck all recorded RBIs.
The Cowgirls struck first as Rachel Becker double to left center to start the bottom of the first. Becker advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Chyenne Factor, then scored from third on a sacrifice grounder from Kiley Naomi, putting the Cowgirls up 1-0.
The Cowgirls really turned the pressure up in the bottom of the fourth inning as they plated three runs.
Naomi, batting lead-off, was hit by a pitch to get on first. Then, in a hit-and-run situation with Micaela Wark, Naomi advanced to third on a sharply hit ball by Wark, who stretched her hit into a double following the throw to third to try and get Naomi out. Katelynn Carwile hit a ground ball to second for what should’ve been the first out of the inning, but WSU’s Sami Hood threw home to try and get Naomi out, but the throw was too late.
That hit for Carwile marked her 17th straight game reaching base.
Still in the bottom of the fourth inning and leading 2-0, Morgyn Wynne hit a shot into left field to score Wark from third, but Wynne rounded first a little too much and was tagged out at first for the first out. Tallen Edwards flew out to center field for the second out, which was followed by a stinger of a ground ball up the middle by Taylor Tuck to score Carwile from third to put the Cowgirls on top, 3-0, heading into the top of the fifth inning.
Things got a little scary for the Pokes in the top of the fifth as WSU’s Hood hit a one-out single, which was followed by a walk by Sedlacek to advance Hood to second. Next up was Brown, who hit an out to Wark and Kilfoyl had a chance to get out of the inning unscathed but gave up a single to Nelson to load the bases. That brought up the hitter with the highest batting average in college softball, Sydney McKinney. With an 0-2 count, McKinney smoked a hard-hit ball at Bloodworth, who rose up and held on to the ball for the third out of the inning, stranding three runners on with no runs.
“The leadoff hitter, in the second [inning] too, hit a ball to [Bloodworth’s] left, a one-hopper she got very easy and made that play,” Gajewski said. “Wichita State, I respect them a lot, I mean they coach well, they have some really good players and that just took the air out of them. Those line drives took the air out of them. And that’s what you’ve got to do this time of year; you’ve gonna have to make plays, pitchers gotta be able to pound the zone, then have those at-bats, but Megan’s just been, from day one, has been awesome here.”
Becker was walked to start the bottom of the fifth and was advanced to second on a sac-bunt by Factor. With one out, Naomi was hit by another pitch to put runners on first and second to bring Wark up to bat. Wark ripped one to second, but the ball was misplayed by Hood, which scored Becker from second to put the Pokes up 5-0 with just one out. Carwile advanced the runners over with a sac-grounder up the middle for the second out, bringing Wynne up to the plate, who ended the inning with a pop fly.
WSU’s Jones recorded just the fourth hit for the Shockers with two outs with a single in the top of the sixth inning, but Rachel Becker ended things with hauling in a line drive to end the inning.
Edwards reached safely on a dropped third strike in the bottom of the sixth and was advanced on a ground out by Tuck to bring up Bloodworth. She got her first hit of the day with an RBI double to right-center to score Edwards from second to put the Pokes on top 6-0. WSU challenged the play at second, but after a review, the umpires ruled Bloodworth safe at second as she got under the tag. Becker flew out to center and Factor hit a grounder to short to end the inning.
Freshman pitcher Kyra Aycock came into the game in the top of the seventh inning to close things out. And close things out she did as she recorded a fly out, a strike out, gave up and single to right field before Bloodworth fielded yet another ball at third base for the third and final out of the game.
