Cowgirls Dominate Doubleheader, Sweep IPFW

Friday, February 27

Houston, Texas

4:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

4-9

IPFW

0-10

IPFW

Oklahoma State

February 27, 2015 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Box Score

Feb. 27, 2015

CONROE, Texas - The Oklahoma State softball team recorded back-to-back victories over IPFW on Friday, giving the Cowgirls a doubleheader sweep at the Scrap Yard Sports Complex in Conroe, Texas. OSU took the first game, 8-0, and won the second by a score of 5-1.

Box Score

Box Score - Game Two

“Overall, that was a great team effort tonight,” head coach Rich Wieligman said. “We've really been working on putting together good innings, and we were able to do that well tonight. Our pitchers looked solid, and we really started to string some hits together.”

In the first game of the night, the Cowgirls (5-9) saw another impressive pitching performance from sophomore hurler Meagan Lively, who recorded six scoreless innings and six strikeouts in her second shutout of the season. After producing a one-hitter against Long Beach State last weekend, the Monroe, La., native only surrendered two hits to the Mastodons, earning her second victory of the year.

The Cowgirls bats were hot from the start, as freshman Vanessa Shippy led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple down the right field line. Shianne Hughes followed up the next at-bat with an RBI-single, giving Oklahoma State an early 1-0 lead.

In the third, Mallory Collins extended the advantage with a two-run base-hit into left, scoring both Hughes and Shippy. The two-RBI single led to a productive night for Collins, who finished 2-4 with three runs batted in and one run scored.

Shippy's fourth-inning solo shot put the Cowgirls up 4-0, but Oklahoma State would eventually break the game open in the sixth, using four hits to produce the three runs needed to earn the run-rule victory. After Collins' two-out infield single loaded the bases, Tiffany Mikkelson ripped a two-run single through the left side, bringing in Hughes and Shippy for the game-winning runs.

The second half of the twin-bill proved to be challenge for Oklahoma State, as the Cowgirls held a narrow 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth. However, four-consecutive base-hits in the frame would be the difference in the matchup, as OSU scratched out two vital insurance runs to gain a commanding lead.

The Cowgirls' timely hitting in the inning began with Collins' third hit of the night, as the freshman scored Mikkelson on a base-hit up the middle. In the following three at-bats, Randee O'Donnell, Jessi Haffner and Dre McKee provided singles of their own, capping off four-straight two-out hits for the home side.

In the circle, Brandi Needham registered the OSU's second complete game pitching performance of the night, posting four strikeouts and only allowing one unearned over seven full innings of work. The effort gave Needham her team-leading third win of the season, and earned the Cowgirls their first winning streak of the year

Oklahoma State was originally slated to face off against North Texas on Friday, but made the scheduling change due to travel conditions. The Cowgirls will now take on the Mean Green in a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning with an early matchup at 10:30 a.m.