Story Poster
Photo by Oklahoma State Athletics
Oklahoma State Softball

Cowgirls Battle Back in Bedlam for the Ages, but Come up Short As They Fall to OU, 11-8

May 9, 2021
1,118

STILLWATER – After a second inning, six-run collapse, Oklahoma State softball battled back in a big way in a Bedlam for the ages, putting up six runs of their own in the bottom of the third. However, their quest for the program’s first conference championship in 26 years would come up short as they drop game three to the Sooners, 11-8.

With the loss, the Cowgirls drop to 40-8 on the season and finish Big 12 play with a 15-3 record. This marks the best season record-wise for the Cowgirls in more than a decade.

Carrie Eberle hit the lead-off batter but made up for it with the next at-bat. After going down 3-0, Eberle battled back and made an impressive catch on a line drive from OU’s Jocelyn Alo up the middle. Eberle would retire the next two batters to get out of the top of the first.

There was a bit of a scary moment for Karli Petty at second base as she fielded a ground ball in the second inning. She went to field the grounder, but it hopped up and ricocheted up and off of her forehead, splitting open her eyebrow. After a 10-minute delay, the Cowgirl medical staff used super glue to seal up the cut and she returned to the game wearing a new jersey and number, No. 15.

Sooner Grace Lyons was safe on that play and was driven in by Mackenzie Donihoo a few plays later to put the Sooners up 1-0 with no outs. Petty was charged with an error a few plays later after she bobbled another ground ball, scoring another Sooner run putting them up 2-0 with just one out. A single by Jayda Coleman on the next at-bat plated two more runs for the Sooners.

Before it was all said and done, the Sooner plated six runs during the top half of the second inning, blowing the game wide open and taking advantage of three errors by the Cowgirls. All six runs were unearned and scored on either ground balls or errors.

Cowgirl Hayley Busby hit a leadoff double to start the bottom of the second inning, followed by an RBI triple by Sydney Pennington, cutting the Cowgirls’ deficit to five runs, 6-1. The threat would end there though as Sooner pitcher Giselle Juarez would strike out the next three hitters to end the inning.

Coach Gajewski pulled starting pitcher Carrie Eberle going into the third inning, putting in senior Logan Simunek. Eberle finished with 2.0 innings giving up three hits, one walk and six unearned runs, all on ground balls and errors.

Simunek started the top of the third with a walk, a strike-out and another walk before giving up a three-run homer to the nine-hole hitter, Nicole Mendes, putting the Sooners up 9-1.

The Cowgirls’ troubles started to fall away in the bottom of the third inning. The inning started with Chelsea Alexander getting hit, followed by a two-run homer by Kiley Naomi. That was followed by another walk and another two-homer, this time by Alysen Febrey, to get the Cowgirls back within four, 9-5.

Patty Gasso pulled Juarez out of the game and brought in Shannon Saile. With runners on first and second with two outs, Reagan Wright drew a walk to load the bases up. Karli Petty was walked with the next at-bat, scoring the sixth run of the day for the Cowgirls, which brought Alexander back up to back. She hit a ground ball to third, which caused a forced out at the plate, bringing Naomi back up to the plate, who was walked to bring the score up to 9-7.

Gasso brought her third pitcher of the inning into the game, Nicole May, who struck out Chyenne Factor with the bases loaded to get out of the third, but not before the Cowgirls scored six runs to get the game back within just two, 9-7.

The Sooners put on across in the top of the fourth, but Hayley Busby had an answer in the bottom of the inning, and she blasted a two-run homer over the left field wall to bring the score up to 10-8.

Eberle was brought back into the game in the middle of the top of the fifth, and immediately threw into a ground ball out, but committed a throwing error on the next at-bat to advance a runner to third, which scored a deep fly ball with the next at-bat.

After the run bombardment, the pitchers combined for four scoreless half innings, giving the Cowgirls a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh. However, OU pitcher Nicole May was too much as she recorded two strikeouts and a groundout to end the game.

The Cowgirls now move on to the Big 12 tournament, which starts this coming Friday, May 14 in Oklahoma City, OK.

Discussion from...

Cowgirls Battle Back in Bedlam for the Ages, but Come up Short As They Fall to OU, 11-8

1,011 Views | 2 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by Zach Lancaster
CanadianCowboy
How long do you want to ignore this user?
You got their attention in the first game, Cowgirls, and were very much in contention the other two games. You made the 'soons work hard for both W's. Now turn the attention to the Big Xii tourney, and take it to 'em.
Zach Lancaster
How long do you want to ignore this user?
Staff
As impressive as the win was, and it was VERY impressive, I think hanging on and giving them a run for their money in games 2 and 3 were pretty impressive as well. It shows just how much this program has grown, especially after going down 9-1 yesterday and coming back to make it a game late.
Refresh
Page 1 of 1
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.