Lexi Kilfoyl Dominates As Cowgirl Softball Battles Back to Beat Kentucky 6-2

STILLWATER – After a rough start to the game putting them in an early 2-0 deficit, Oklahoma State softball took control of the game against Kentucky in the bottom half of the first inning and rolled to a 6-2 win. 

With the win, the Cowgirls are now 21-1 at home this season, and 46-10 overall. 

Oklahoma State faces Michigan at 2 p.m. tomorrow. The Wolverines, winner of the Big Ten Tournament are now 43-17 after sweeping Northern Colorado and then Kentucky by indentical 4--to-2 scores. Should a regional game seven be necessary, it would come at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow.  

“First off just really proud of this team,” head coach Kenny Gajewski said. “These kids that are representing our team you know, we had to weather the storm there in the first inning. Lexi wasn't exactly sharp to start. She missed some pitches. Some pitches over the middle were just too fat and and it allowed them to have better contact. So it made some tough plays for us and some balls that found the found the the base hit range. Man once we got out of that, I felt good. I was like ‘okay we got out of there with two runs, we’re okay,’ and then we score four. And obviously Jill just comes off and wham with the home run.”

Lexi Kilfoyl picked up her 30th win on the season, giving up five hits, four of which came in the first inning, two runs, one of those earned, with 12 strikeouts and no walks.

After giving up four hits and two runs in the top half of the first inning, Kilfoyl recorded three-straight strikeouts and then proceeded to retire nearly every hitter she faced throughout the rest of the game, allowing just one more hit in the top of the seventh. 

“That’s a good team over there and some good hitters, and to strikeout 12 and walk none in a regional game against a SEC opponent, I think it tells you [Lexi Kilfoyl] just needed to get dialed in just a little bit more,” Gajewski said. “After the first inning I think she was perfect until the seventh inning little weak hit. And it's not easy to do when you're a ground ball kid.“
 

It wasn’t the ideal start to the game the Cowgirls are used to as Kentucky jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, loading the bases with no outs and an error for the Pokes. Then Kilfoyl turned up the gas as she recorded three-straight strikeouts to get out of the jam. 

In the bottom half of the inning, Jilyen Poullard starting things off with a solo blast out to center field, her 10thhome run of the season. That was followed by a single by Tallen Edwards and a walk for Caroline Wang. Karli Godwin flied out to right field, before an 11-pitch at-bat for Rosie Davis, ending in a walk to load the bases with just one out. A wild pitch from Schoonover scored Edwards from third to tie the game at 2-2, still with just one out. 

Claire Timm drove the ball out to left field for a single, scoring Wang and putting runners on the corners and the Cowgirls up 3-2. Micaela Wark flied out to third, but no one was covering home to score Davis before Timm was thrown out trying to advance to second to end the inning. A wild first inning sees the Cowgirls on top 4-2. 

A 1-2-3 inning for Kilfoyl gets the Pokes out of the top of the second inning unscathed to bring up Lexi McDonald in the bottom half of the second. 

Nothing going for the Cowgirls in the bottom half of the second as McDonald was the lone base runner following a walk. 

Rosie Davis hit her 11th double of the season in the bottom of the third with two outs, before Timm drove her home with an RBI single, her 27th of the season, to put the Cowgirls on top 5-2. 

Godwin and Wang each singled to start the bottom of the fifth for the Cowgirls, bringing Davis up to the plate with no outs. Davis recorded a fly-out to short stop, with Godwin getting back to the bag to keep it at just one out. Timm struck out looking, then Godwin and Wang advanced to second and third following a passed ball from new pitcher Vickers. But nothing came from it as Macy Graf struck out to end the inning stranding two runners.

Kilfoyl had a great top half of the sixth inning as she recorded three-straight strikeouts to get out of the inning, giving her 11 strikeouts on the day. 

Poullard hit her second homer of the day as she hit a two-out blast out to right field to put the Cowgirls up 6-2 heading into the top of the seventh. 

Kilfoyl finished the game strong as she recorded a strikeout to start the seventh, gave up the first Kentucky hit since the first inning and then a fly out and groud out to end the game.