Cowgirls Come Home Short on Games, But Unbeaten at the Bayou
With the temperature in Monroe, La. in the low 30s and not expected to warm up any and a winter storm warning issued the four games the Oklahoma State Cowgirls were going to try to play on Saturday were all wiped out. Games cancelled included Jacksonville State, Arkansas, Lipscomb, and another game with Louisiana Tech.
The Cowgirls got on the bus and headed back to Stillwater with the expectation they will arrive before the serious winter storm activity and possible blizzard hits Stillwater. The No. 10-ranked Cowgirls didn’t get as much action in as they had hoped but they are 2-0.
Friday the Cowgirls made quick work of Louisiana Tech with an 8-0 shortened to five inning whitewash of the Techsters. Left-hander pitcher Kelly Maxwell made it six and a third innings of scoreless work and collected her second win in as many days. Maxwell had come in and rescued the Cowgirls in the opener on Thursday against No. 18-ranked Arkansas. On Friday she gave up just one hit in the five innings with 10 strikeouts.
At the plate Chyenne Factor had her second two hit game in a row as Factor was 2-for-2 with a run scored. Four Cowgirls had home runs as Alysen Febrey went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Jordan Doggett, who transfered to OSU from Georgia as Febrey did a year ahead of her had a home run. Karli Petty, who was 2-for-3 with three RBI had a homer as did returning All-American and captain Sydney Pennington. The conditions were cold and windy but it did not seem to bother Oklahoma State.
The opening day game was a real adventure as the Cowgirls jumped out to an early lead with Michaela Richbourg going 2-for-3 with three RBI and a home run. Doggett in her first game as a Cowgirl was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Febrey had a home run and was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Factor was 2-for-4 with a double and a pair of RBI.
Arkansas came back as after Carrie Eberle pitched for innings and gave up three runs on five hits then Logan Simunek was battered with eight runs, but only three earned on three hits in an inning and a third.
Maxwell came in and closed it out facing four hitters in here one and a third innings. She struck them all out. The Cowgirls trailing 11-10 in the top of the seventh scored twice for the 12-11 win over the ranked Razorbacks.
Oklahoma State goes on the road to the Tracy Beard Invitational in Frosco, Texas next weekend and faces Lamar on Friday, North Texas and Tarleton State on Saturday, and Louisiana Tech and South Dakota State on Sunday.