Pitching Rules the Day for Oklahoma State in Final Day Sweep at South Florida
(This story originated with Oklahoma State athletic media relations and was written by Serg Thomas and edited by Pokes Report publisher Robert Allen.)
TAMPA, Fla. – Back-to-back complete game shutouts from Ivy Rosenberry and Lexi Kilfoyl lifted the No. 7 Oklahoma State softball team to a 1-0 win over Pittsburgh and a 6-0 win over Loyola Chicago at the USF Softball Field Saturday. With Saturday’s results, the Cowgirls improved to 13-2 on the season.
The day’s first game against Pittsburgh was a true pitcher’s duel, with Rosenberry (3-0) limiting the Panthers to four hits and only allowing two Pitt baserunners to get as far as second base.
Despite getting runners on base in the first, second and fifth innings, OSU was unable to cash in any runs until the sixth, when Pitt right-hander Adriana Romano walked Rosie Davis with the bases loaded to score Claire Timm in what was the game’s only run.
In game two against Loyola Chicago, Kilfoyl (6-2) took a perfect game into the sixth inning before giving up a one-out single that ended up being Loyola’s only baserunner of the game.
Kilfoyl’s dominance was important because OSU had difficulty scoring until breaking through with two runs in the fourth inning, thanks to an RBI ground out from Caroline Wang and an RBI single from Davis.
In the fifth inning, Lexi McDonald opened the lead to 5-0 with a three-run home run that was the first of her career. An RBI single from Kilfoyl in the sixth capped the scoring.
Saturday’s games brought an end to a 10-game tour through Florida that saw the Cowgirls go 8-2 and secure quality wins over No. 4 Washington, No. 16 Florida, Wisconsin, and others. OSU outscored its last five opponents by a combined score of 30-2 with three shutouts.
The Cowgirls return to action at 4 p.m. CT on Tuesday, February 27 with a home-opening doubleheader against South Dakota State at Cowgirl Stadium.