Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Take Series Finale from Kansas, 3-1
March 25, 2012 | Cowgirl Softball
March 25, 2012
Lawrence, Kan. — Oklahoma State scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning and salvaged a 3-1 win over Kansas in the series finale here Sunday afternoon at Arrocha Ballpark. A bases-loaded single by Gessenia DeLaCruz scored Chelsea Garcia with the eventual winning run.
The Cowgirls scored first as Ari Morrison led off the game with a single up the middle and Sammy Jo Diffendaffer bunted her over. Tamara Brown also came up with a single up the middle, allowing Morrison to score from second. Two batters later with Brown at second, Shelby Davis got a hit to center field, but Brown was thrown out at home to end the inning.
In the bottom of the first, the Jayhawks also led off with a single. After advancing to second on a passed ball, Ashley Newman scored on a hit to right field by Liz Kocon to tie the game at 1-1.
Sophomore Simone Freeman started in the circle for OSU. She threw the first two innings, allowing four hits for the lone Jayhawk run, and struck out three. Junior Kat Espinosa came in with a runner on first and no one out in the bottom of the third. After getting the first out, Maggie Hull got a hit and Kocon got hit by a pitch to load the bases. However, Espinosa struck out the next batter and the third out popped up to end the threat.
Oklahoma State regained the lead in the fourth inning when DeLaCruz got her hit with the bases loaded to score one. KU starter Alicia Pille struck out the next OSU batter, but walked Stephanie Brewer to score another run for the Cowgirls.
Morgan Druhan took over pitching the next inning for KU. Pille threw four innings, gave up five hits for one earned run, struck out three and walked two.
Espinosa improved to 9-5 with the win, allowing four hits in five innings. Garcia went 2-for-3 for the Cowgirls at the plate.
Oklahoma State (16-12 overall, 1-2 Big 12) will travel to Oklahoma City, Okla., on Wednesday when the Cowgirls face Oklahoma in the first Bedlam game of the season.
