Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Softball Takes Down Southern Nazarene, 10-5
September 30, 2014 | Cowgirl Softball
Oklahoma State freshman Vanessa Shippy recorded two extra-base hits and a home run, and sophomore Brandi Needham tossed four innings of one-run ball as the Cowgirl softball team took down Southern Nazarene, 10-5, on Wednesday night at Cowgirl Stadium.
Shippy's two-run blast came in the bottom of the first inning, helping the Cowgirls jump out to an early 2-0 lead. A run-scoring double from Danielle Riddle and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Peyton Walker tacked on two additional runs in the third, continuing the Cowgirls' fall trend of gaining an early advantage.
Southern Nazarene responded to Oklahoma State's hasty bats in the first half of the ten-inning scrimmage, managing two unearned runs after Riddle's second-inning throwing error and additional unearned runs in the fourth and the fifth. However, Michaela Patton and Shelby Davis registered run-scoring singles in the bottom of the fifth inning, putting the Cowgirls back on top.
Oklahoma State bolstered its lead in the following frame, receiving insurance from a sacrifice fly by Riddle and a solo shot off the bat Tiffany Mikkelson. The Crimson Tide cut the OSU lead to 9-5 after a solo home run from Jessica Thompson in the top of the eighth, but Miranda Cavin's ninth-inning sacrifice fly helped Oklahoma State maintain a sizeable advantage.
On the mound, Meagan Lively earned her third-consecutive start for the Cowgirls, recording four strikeouts and allowing only four hits over the first four innings. Needham provided four innings in relief after Jessi Haffner came on in the fifth, and Peyton Walker closed out the scrimmage with two strikeouts in the 10th.
With the victory, the Cowgirls take a 3-0 fall record into this weekend's matchup against Arkansas. Oklahoma State will host the Razorbacks on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m. at the Cowgirl Softball Complex.
