Cowgirls Use Freshman Power and Senior Arm to Beat Michigan and Win Regional
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State and Michigan were playing a fairly even contest into the top of the fifth inning with the Cowgirls leading 2-1 on the strength of a solo home run in the top of the second by sophomore right fielder Lexi McDonald. In the top of the fifth <ichigan pitcher Lauren Derkowski gave up a bloop single to the Cowgirls home run leader Caroline Wang. It was wang’s turn to be along for the ride as freshman Karli Godwin stepped up and on a 1-1 pitch drilled a line drive bullet home run over the left-center field wall and into the Cowgirls fans perched on the deck. Everybody celebrated water sprayed and the lucky ones were the ones it landed on. Oklahoma State had taken control at 4-1. The Cowgirls won the game by that score and secured their fifth straight Super Regional for next week. Oklahoma State is now 47-10 and Michigan finishes their season 43-18.
“We knew it was going to be tough and Michigan has a tradtion of excellence and their pitcher Lauren Derkowski was tough to compete against,” Oklahoma State head coach Kenny Gajewski said giving Michigan credit. “The story of the weekend is Lexi (Kilfoyl), just the way she carried the team. She’s been waiting for this moment whether she knows it or not.
“It’s incredible for Karli (Godwin) to be here and be in this room,” Gajewski continued. “She had the big home run that gave us breathing room but she’s been great the whole year. Just an incredible team win.”
Godwin admitted she had a terrible batting practice and Gajewski said he knows that sometimes he just has to put his arms around her and let her know it’s okay. As she rounded third on the home run her coach said he threw his hands up to show her joikingly, “see how easy it is.”
“This is what you dream of coming here, making the World Series and making it to the Super Regional,” Godwin said and then she addressed how hard the home run was. “It was one of (hardest she’s hit this year). It was hit pretty well.”
“I went out there and trusted my stuff,” Michigan pitcher Lauren Derkowski said. “I throw the ball up in the zone sometimes and I have to do that. They are a really good hitting team and you have to give them credit.”
“It was not too up it was more an inside pitch, about inside half,” Godwin said of where she saw the pitch that she hit out.
Both teams had threatened to blow it open earlier. After the Cowgirls took the lead in the first inning with a lead-off double by Jilyen Poullard. Poullard hit it right down the first base line and it rolled into foul territory and made it an easy two bagger for the speedster. She scored when Tallen Edwards hit it right under the glove of Michigan first baseman Keke Tholl.
In the bottom of the first, Ellie Seiler led off with a single. After a ground out and a fly out, Tholl singled to right-center scoring Siler from second base to tie the score at 1-1. Ella Stephenson stepped up and singled down the line in left field. Then Jessica Conway got an infield single to load the bases. Pitching coach Carrie Eberle came out and and met with workhorse starter Lexi Kilfoyl. The team met around the circle and Kilfoyl came up with the bases loaded save the next hitter Lilly Vallimont ground out to Edwards at third base.
“The first inning today and yesterday (Kentucky scored two Saturday) were not my best,” Kilfoyl said. “lloking back at them I feel they didn’t really beat me. It was dinky little hits and we were very unlucky. Carrie (Eberle - pitching coach) does a good job of telling me to keep going and keep punching (the ball) in the zone.”
“That was an emotional test and that is what the game does,” Gajewski said of the bottom of the first that Kilfoyl and the team had to wiggle out of. “It keeps you grounded and when everything is cruising along and you have the best pitcher in the country over here and you are going to roll out and go the game tests you and when we got through that I felt good.”
Before the home run by Godwin and after the home run in the second inning by McDonald. That shot in the second was a big fly home run that cleared the left field fence by about five feet. In the fourth inning the Cowgirls had a chance to take control then but couldn’t get the two out, bases loaded hit. McDonald got hit by a pitch with two outs. Shortstop Megan Bloodworth singled to left field and then Poullard walked to load em up with two outs. Edwards was working for a big swing but grounded out to second base.
That workhorse in the circle Lexi Kilfoyl pitched 19-of-the-21 innings in the regional. In the win over Michigan she allowed one run and five hits. Overall, Kilfoyl allowed three runs, two earned, 10 hits, and she struck out 21 hitters.
“She’s throwing 68 miles and has a great change up and command of it,” Michign head coach Bonnie Tholl said. “She showed that maturity and I believe she is a fifth-year and she has done a great job her whole career.”
Kilfoyl said she was a little tired and hungry. Steak is her “go to” after a game and she said her dad had a ribeye on the grill for her.
Oklahoma State moves on to the Super Regional next weekend at home. Arkansas lost their first two games in hosting and was eliminated. Arizona beat Villanova 9-4 to advance out of Faytteville and the soon-to-be Big 12 member will be in Stillwater to face the Cowgirls next week with a trip to OKC and Women’s College World Series at stake.