Cowgirl Softball Run Rules Arizona 8-0 in Five Innings to Start Super Regional Play

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State Cowgirls stay perfect in the 2024 NCAA Tournament as they run ruled No. 17 Arizona 8-0 in five innings to take a 1-0 lead in the Stillwater Super Regional.

With the win, the Cowgirls moved to 48-10 on the season, 23-1 at home this season, and will face the Wildcats in game two on Saturday, May 25 at 6 p.m. CT, weather pending.

The Cowgirls have been dominant at home in the Regionals and Super Regionals as they’re now 19-1 the past four seasons.

“Obviously, from our perspective, a really complete game,” said head coach Kenny Gajewski. “ I walked in our facility here today, we’ve got some recruits here and just couldn’t believe how loose our facility was. It was crazy awesome. I don’t know that I could’ve drawn it up that we were gonna run rule a good Arizona team. But just, I liked what I saw right when I walked in here today. So, credit these guys; these guys just love each other, they’re having a blast, obviously playing well. I thought Lexi [Kilfoyl] was really good. Our offense was really the story here. I thought the defense made some nice plays too, but the offense was relentless. It was the Cowgirl Way. It was really cool. A lot of walks, a lot of baserunners, a lot of pressure. Karli, her first hit was really the most impressive [hit] if you want to know the truth in my mind. 

Lexi Kilfoyl earned the win giving up three hits, no runs, with three strikeouts and one walk.

Sophomore Tallen Edwards was perfect from the plate as she went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk, scoring two runs. As a team, the Cowgirls combined for eight hits, three home runs and two doubles, with just one strikeout.

“She’s frustrating to coach at times,” said Gajewski of Edwards. “I love her to death, you guys know that, but the bigger the moment, Tallen can rise up and be whoever she wants to be, and it’s wild. She gets caught up at times looking at her average, looking at things that don’t matter, who we’re playing, it’s like ‘Eh, I’m kind of bored.’ But I knew Tallen would be here today; I could see it, I knew it, she’s big-game Tallen and it always has been. She just steps up and she loves the moment. So, if we could get Tallen to kind of mature into that ‘every moment is the moment,’ she’ll do everything that she wants.”

The game started well for the Pokes as they jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning. Jilyen Poullard kicked things off with a walk and was advanced to third on a double to right field from Tallen Edwards. Caroline Wang recorded her 49th RBI on the season to score Poullard and Karli Godwin scored Edwards from second with an RBI double, her 49th on the season as well.

The Wildcats made a pitching change in the second inning, bringing in Aissa Silva, who recorded five-straight outs across the second and third inning, before Godwin hit her 15th homerun on the season, setting an OSU freshman record, to put the Pokes up 3-0 with two outs.

The Cowgirls blew the game wide open in the bottom half of the fourth inning, with Claire Timm and Micaela Wark each hit home runs to start the inning and extend the Cowgirls’ lead up to 5-0 and force yet another pitching change. 

The new pitcher, Blanchard, advanced Scotland David to third on a wild pitch, who was then scored on a sac fly from Megan Bloodworth to put the Pokes up 6-0. Godwin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Poullard to go up 7-0. The next at-bat, Edwards scored following a fielder’s choice on a hit by Rosie Davis to go up 8-0. 

To end the inning, the Cowgirls scored five runs on four hits.

Kilfoyl finished the game just as strong as she had started as she gave up just one hit.