TEMPE, Ariz. (OSU Athletics ) — The Oklahoma State softball team began Saturday with a big 9-2 win over McNeese State and ended with a tough 8-5 loss to Central Florida at the Kajikawa Classic.
Freshman Julie Ward led the Cowgirls (3-1) in the first game with eight RBI's. Ward went 2-for-3, had a sacrifice fly in the third inning that scored Mariah Gearhart from third and hit a grand slam and a three-run home run in her next two at-bats. Katelyn Bright also went 2-for-3 and scored three of the runs.
Sophomore left-hander Sarah Odom started the game for the Cowgirls and gave up two runs off two hits in the first three innings. McNeese State's Molly Guidry hit a two-run homerun off Odom in the third to tie it up. Junior Anna Whiddon relieved Odom in the fourth and earned the win for OSU. She faced the next nine batters without giving up a hit, walked only one and struck out two. Sophomore Alex Villalobos relieved Whiddon and threw a hitless seventh inning.
However in the second game of the afternoon, Central Florida (1-2) scored in the first three innings to get the lead and never gave it back despite a rally from OSU. UCF scored in the first inning off an RBI-single to right field by Javier Breanne. The Cowgirls responded in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own. Bright hit a single up the middle that scored Gearhart from second. Bright then advanced to third on a single by Megan Castle and scored by an error on the centerfielder.
UCF tied it up in the second with a solo homerun by Natalie Land. They took the lead in the third when they scored four runs off four hits. Oklahoma State tried to rally back with a run in the fourth and two more in the sixth but it wouldn't be enough as UCF added two more in the seventh and won the game 8-5. Senior Megon Paul (1-0) got the win for the Knights after throwing 6.1 innings, giving up three earned runs off six hits and striking out one.
Gearhart and Bright each went 2-for-3 in the game and Julie Ward was intentionally walked in each of her four at-bats. Whiddon started the game and got the loss after giving up six runs off seven hits. She falls to 2-1. Odom threw 4.1 innings, gave up two runs off two hits and struck out six.
The Cowgirls will wrap up in Tempe tomorrow when they face No. 9 Northwestern at 12:00 CST.
