Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Softball Hosts The Sooners
April 02, 2002 | Cowgirl Softball
April 2, 2002
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COWGIRLS TAKE ON THE SOONERS Oklahoma State (22-11 overall, 3-3 in Big 12) will host the Oklahoma Sooners (31-8 overall, 4-0 in Big 12) for round one of Bedlam action on Wednesday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m. Oklahoma State picked up two road wins in Missouri over Easter weekend. The Cowgirls defeated the Tigers, 5-2, on Friday and completed the sweep on Saturday, coming away with a 3-1 victory. Oklahoma swept Texas Tech, 3-1, and, 4-0, in a doubleheader last Friday. This will be the 116th meeting between the two schools. Oklahoma State leads the all-time series, 67-48.
COMING UP Oklahoma State stays in the friendly confines of Cowgirl Stadium for one more game, hosting the Shockers of Wichita State on Thursday, April 4, at 6 p.m. The Cowgirls hit the road over the weekend, traveling to Lubbock, Texas to take on the Red Raiders in a two-game set on Saturday and Sunday.
COWGIRL SOFTBALL ON THE AIR Beginning with the Oklahoma game, all of Oklahoma State's home conference games, as well as the OU game in Norman and all postseason contests will be broadcast live on Stillwater Radio. Bill VanNess will provide the play-by-play for the fourth-consecutive season. Any game starting prior to 7 p.m. will air on KSPI 780 AM. Any game starting at 7 p.m. or later will be broadcast on Y105.5 FM.
BIG 12 RANKINGS Oklahoma State's pitching staff is second in the league in earned run average at 1.15, trailing Baylor who leads the conference with a 0.81 ERA. Junior Lauren Bay leads the league in strikeouts during conference play, averaging 12.13 Ks per game. Sophomore Jade Lindly leads the league in home runs with 11 and slugging percentage (.829). She has a .464 on-base percentage, good for third in the league. Stephanie Hodges is fourth in the league in walks with 17.
LAST TIME OUT Oklahoma State improved to 3-3 in conference play, picking up two road wins at Missouri. On Friday, the Cowgirl bats were silent until the top of the fifth when senior Nicci Quiroz singled to left field, collecting the first Cowgirl hit of the game and swinging the momentum. The floodgates opened after the hit and Lauren Bay and Jade Lindly crossed the plate on an error by the Missouri centerfielder. Ryan Realmuto added to the Cowgirl advantage, hitting a two-run dinger in the top of the sixth to put OSU up by two. Megan Carey rounded tyhe base paths and added the final run of the inning on a Calli Behmer single. On the mound, Bay fanned 11 batters, her third double-digit strikeout in four conference games. Lindly led the Cowgirl charge on Saturday, knocking a solo shot to right center in the top of the fourth to put the Cowgirls on top. With two outs, Jenny Kipp hit what would prove to be the game winning shot, a double to left center that scored Megan Carey and Summer Younk. The Tigers scored one run in the bottom of the seventh to avoid the shutout.
SCOUTING REPORT ON OKLAHOMA Oklahoma is 31-8 overall and 4-0 in the Big 12 Conference. The Sooners are ranked ninth in the country, according to the NFCA Coaches' Poll. OU swept Texas A&M and Texas Tech in league play and cancelled the game with Nebraska due to inclement weather. The Sooners are led by freshman Christina Enea, who is batting .382 with a team-high 14 doubles, seven home runs and 38 runs batted in. Senior Christy Ring is batting .370, with five doubles, three triples and one home run. Junior Gulla also brings offensive power to the plate for the Sooners. Gulla has 12 doubles, 31 runs batted in and leads the team in home runs (10). On the mound, OU is led by senior Jennifer Stewart, who has a 14-3 record and a 2.06 earned run average. She has nine complete games and four shutouts. Three other Sooners, Kami Keiter, Adrianne Ratliff and Angela Foster have a combined record of 17-5 for the Sooners.
