Diamond Wrap-Up: Oklahoma State Baseball and Softball Combine for Three Wins
STILLWATER – The ball was being hit and pitched all over the ballparks on McElroy in Stillwater and on the Oklahoma State campus. Josh Holliday’s baseball team saw several new young contributors help out on the mound and at the plate as the Cowboys downed Sam Houston in the first of a three-game series 5-1. Two blocks or less to the east, Kenny Gajewski’s Cowgirls followed up Thursday night’s 11-inning upset of No. 4 Nebraska with a pair of run-rule wins over Southeast Missouri scoring a combined 17 runs and allowing just one.
In the nightcap at Cowgirl Stadium, the offense explosed for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to end the contest with a 9-1 win. Aubrey Jones, who had homered in the fourth inning collected a second RBI with a triple in the sixth. Jones scored on a ground out by freshman centerfielder Jayelle Austin. With Rosie Davis, the hero from the win over Nebraska on second base, Claire Timm hit one like Rosie did against the Huskers, a two-run shot to deep center field. Madison Hoffman got the final RBI on a single that scored Macy Graf from second.
Freshman pitcher Preslee Downing threw a complete game allowing just one run while striking out three and walking one. Downing is 4-0 on the season. Oklahoma State is 14-4 so far.
Win No. 13 came earlier in the day against the same Southeast Missouri team. A two-hit shutout from RyLee Crandall fueled an 8-0 run-rule victory in five innings. With five shutout innings, Crandall (6-0) extended her scoreless innings streak to 11.0, spanning her last three outings.
OSU opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the first inning, thanks to a run-scoring ground out from Claire Timm and an RBI single from Karli Godwin. The Cowgirls blew things open by scoring five runs in the third inning. Included in the onslaught were a two-run triple from Gabby Castillo and a two-run single by Audrey Schneidmiller.
The Cowgirls next play No. 4 Nebraska again at 2 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 28)
Back at O’Brate Stadium, Hudson Barrett took the mound to begin the series for the Cowboys, making his third start of the season. The transfer had a career-day on the mound, pitching seven innings while striking out 10 – both career highs – and allowing just one unearned run to improve to 2-1.
Noah Wech came in to finish game for the Pokes, striking out four hitters over the final two innings to seal the win.
Sebastian Norman and Brock Thompson both went deep on the day, driving in four of the Cowboy's five runs. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Norman provided a big swing with a line drive home run over the left field wall. It was the freshman's second home run of the season.
The Cowboys started a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a pair of singles from Francisco and Conover. With two on and two out, Thompson sent a ball over the right-center field wall to give the Pokes three big insurance runs and make it a 5-0 game.
The final was 5-1 improving the Cowboys to 6-3 and the two teams play game two of the series on Saturday at 1 p.m.
