Kistler's Home Run Fuels No. 4 Florida to WCWS Opening Win Over No. 5 Oklahoma State

OKLAHOMA CITY  – In the hastily put together game back in February when the No. 6 Cowgirls visited the No. 16 Florida Gators it was a great pitching effort by Lexi Kilfoyl and a three-run home run by freshman Karli Godwin that made the difference in the 3-0 Oklahoma State win. This time Kilfoyl threw well again, pitching a two-hitter, but the home run came on the other side as Florida right fielder Katie Kistler came up in the fifth inning and unloaded on a full count pitch and put the ball deep into the right field bleachers 277 feet away from home plate and rhe hardest hit ball of the day with an exit velocity of 75 miles-per-hour.

“Honestly, I think I blacked out a little bit. I don’t remember much,” Kistler said of her home run trot. “I was just happy to do that for my teammates and for Keagan (Rothrock) because she was pitching her butt off. I didn’t know how hard it was hit and I don’t really keep track of the analytics, but it felt like one of the hardest hits I’ve had, I think.”

“I’m glad she said she blacked out because from my place at the third-base coaching box it looked like she balcked out,” said Florida head coach Tim Walton, who also added she had switched bats after her previous at bats. “We had 19 other in-game adjustments that didn’t work, but that one did.”

“I thought it was a good pitch (she hit),” said Cowgirls pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl.

The 1-0 lead stood up and Florida advances to Saturday’s winner’s game with top-seeded Texas. Oklahoma State will fight for survival on Friday at 8:30 p.m. against Stanford. Texas beat Stanford 4-0 right before the OSU-Florida game. 

The final game of the day, the No. 5 Cowgirls and No. 4 Gators started almost on time after the rain delay in game one of day one at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park. Oklahoma State had the first opportunity in the top of the first as third baseman Tallen Edwards drew a one-out walk from the Gators freshman hurler Keagan Rothrock. After a popout to second base by the Cowgirls home run leader Caroline Wang, freshman Karli Godwin drew another walk on a full count to move Edwards down to second. However, with two outs fellow freshman Rosie David flew out to the shortstop  Skylar Wallace. 

The first hit of the game came in the top of the second and Lexi McDonald drilled a hard ground ball back to the circle and off of Rothrock’s glove giving the ball a course correction to the gap between first and second for a single. The two out base hit went for naught when shortstop Megan Bloodworth struck out on four pitches. 

Oklahoma State Athletics

Kilfoyl started out strong, perfect for three innings.

Kilfoyl was rocking as she faced the minimum number of hitters throught he first three innings courtesy of a double play that she started to end the second inning. She gave up a walk to leadoff hitter and catcher Jocelyn Erickson. Reagan Walsh hit into a fielder’s choice for the first out. Then Katie Kistler slapped the ball back at Kilfoyl, who started the 1-6-3 double play to end the inning. 

Kilfoyl walked Wallace in the bottom of the fourth and then Erickson hit the ball on the ground to third baseman Edwards, who booted it for an error and runners at first and second with two outs. Kilfoyl saved her team again by striking out Walsh to end the fourth still scoreless. 

Another close call in the top of the fifth as Lexi McDonald got a hold  of a Rothrock pitch and drove it deep to centerfield. It wouldn’t gone out, but would have bounced of the wall for a double or more. Instead Kendra Falby, the Gators centerfielder chased it on the dead run and made the catch just in front of the wall. 

“I haven’t been doing what I want to do with the bat, so I just focused on doing what I could do (with the glove and that catch),” said Falby.

The final out in the contest came when Michaela Wark popped out to the Wallace at short and the game was over. Oklahoma State drops to 49-11 on the season. Kilfoyl is now 26-4 on the season. 

“It was a good softball game and they had the big blow. It was a dogfight from the beginning,’ Oklahoma State head coach Kenny Gajewski. We have our work cut out for us, but I really like what these kids do.”

Florida is now 52-13 on the season.