Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Colorado State
Softball Wins Two at UTSA Classic
February 14, 2014 | Cowgirl Softball
In the first game, the Cowgirls got on the board in the bottom of the second inning, when junior Gessenia DeLaCruz crushed a grand slam over the center field wall to put OSU up, 4-0. OSU added on another run in the bottom of the third inning, when senior Tarah Ettinger scored on a single by freshman Madison Ellis and an error by the second baseman. Tiffany Mikkelson scored the final run for the Cowgirls, extending their lead to 6-0.
Colorado State (5-2) scored two runs in the top of the sixth, when Ashllie Ortega and Chelsea O'Connor scored on a base hit by Jaelyn Manzanares. CSU added on one more run in the top of the seventh on a base hit by O'Connor. That was all the offense the Rams would produce, and OSU walked away with a 6-3 victory.
Offensively, the Cowgirls had 10 hits. Junior Shelby Davis was 3-for-4, and Ettinger was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Seniors Ari Morrison and Shannon Kaufman, sophomore Shianne Hughes, DeLaCruz and Ellis all had one hit. DeLaCruz had four runs batted in.
Senior Simone Freeman (3-2) started in the circle for the Cowgirls. In 6.1 innings, she allowed one run on three hits, struck out 10 and walked two. Freshman Peyton Walker pitched 2/3 of an inning, giving up two runs on one hit.
In the second game, the Cowgirls struck first in the top of the second when Hughes scored on a base hit by Davis to put OSU up, 1-0.
UTSA (4-1) took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, when Jolene Graham scored on a single by Randee Crawford. Then Jori Fox scored on a fielder's choice by Alexis Ramirez.
The Cowgirls rallied in the top of the sixth inning, with DeLaCruz hitting her second home run of the day to center field. Kaufman scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3. The next batter, Ettinger, singled in Davis to take the lead and was followed by Mikkelson, who grounded out to third, scoring Morrison.
UTSA threatened in the bottom of the seventh, but the Cowgirls held on, giving the Roadrunners their first loss of the season.
At the plate, the Cowgirls had 11 hits. For the second straight game, Davis went 3-for-4 and an RBI. Ettinger, Mikkelson and DeLaCruz all had a hit and an RBI, while Morrison, Hughes, Freeman, Kaufman and freshman Whitney Whitehorn all had base hits.
In the circle, Whitehorn (1-1) pitched five innings, allowing three runs on five hits. She struck out four and walked three batters. Freeman took over in the bottom of the sixth inning and earned her first save of the season. She pitched two innings, allowing two hits and striking out four.
The Cowgirls (4-3) return to action tomorrow, when they take on Wichita State at 9 a.m. and Rutgers at 2 p.m. Fans can follow the action through GameTracker or via Twitter at @CowgirlSB.
