Oklahoma State University Athletics
Softball Splits In Red Desert Classic
February 25, 2000 | Cowgirl Softball
Feb. 25, 2000
ST. GEORGE, Utah - Oklahoma State's 25th-ranked softball team split a pair of games here Friday afternoon, defeating Utah State, 6-3, before falling to top-ranked Washington, 12-1, in the Red Desert Classic.
In the first game, OSU scored three runs in the bottom of the first on a one-out, home run blast off the bat of freshman Kirsty Jennings. The Aggies cut the lead to one on back-to-back homers in the top of the second by Sandy Taylor and Breanne Nickle.
The Cowgirls added a run in the fourth on an RBI double by Lezli Leathers with Ryan Realmuto on, but USU scored in the top of the fifth on a double steal, scoring Aimee Johnson.
Oklahoma State added two insurance runs in the sixth, the first on a successful squeeze bunt by Leathers that scored Christina Shaddox, the other on a sacrifice fly by Shelly Graham, scoring Casey O'Neill.
Karla Rivera picked up the win, striking out seven Aggie batters. Leathers went 2-for-3 for the Cowgirls, with two RBIs.
The second game was a different story as the top-ranked team in the country run-ruled the Cowgirls, 12-1. OSU scored its only run of the game in the top of the second on a solo home run by Jennings, giving the Cowgirls a 1-0 lead.
It was all Huskies from then on, with Jenny Topping supplying most of the offense. The 5-5 freshman catcher had a double and a home run, a grand slam in the fifth, three runs scored and six RBIs.
Oklahoma State (11-3) will play 11th-ranked Stanford on Saturday at noon CST, followed by Southern Utah at 2 p.m. The Cowgirls will conclude the tournament on Sunday with an 11 a.m. game vs. host-school Utah.
Oklahoma State 6, Utah State 3
USU 020 010 0 - 3 6 1 OSU 300 102 x - 6 7 0
Rivera, Knife Chief (5) and Realmuto. Hommell, Bowden (6) and Nickle. WP: Rivera (4-0). LP: Hommell (1-2). Save: Knife Chief (1). 2B: OSU-Leathers (3), USU-Johnson (2). HR: OSU-Jennings (1), USU-Taylor (2), Nickle (1).
Washington 12, Oklahoma State 1 (5)
OSU 010 00 - 1 3 2 UW 003 45 - 12 9 0
Bay, Knife Chief (4) and Realmuto. Spediacci and Topping. WP: Spediacci (6-1). LP: Bay (3-2). 2B: UW-Leutzinger (6), Topping (5). HR: OSU-Jennings (2), UW-Topping (6), Clark (6).
