Cowgirls Walk-Off Against Iowa, Sweep Doubleheader

Tuesday, March 17

Stillwater, Okla.

2:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

13-13

Iowa

8-20

Iowa

Oklahoma State

March 17, 2015 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Box Score

March 17, 2015

STILLWATER, Okla. - The Oklahoma State softball team closed its 11-game homestand with a doubleheader sweep on Tuesday, as the Cowgirls defeated Iowa, 6-5, and Central Arkansas, 4-0, at Cowgirl Stadium.

Tuesday's victories push Oklahoma State (14-13) over the .500 mark for the first time this season, while helping the squad finish its lengthy homestand with a 9-2 record.

"We came into today wanting to go over .500, and that's exactly what we did," head coach Rich Wieligman said. "We got behind in the first game, but we were able to fight back. Then, in the second game, Brandi Needham had one of her best performances of the year. We're starting to play a lot better, and it's starting to show with some wins."

In the afternoon matchup, the Cowgirls took on Iowa, who came to Stillwater fresh off its appearance at the University of Oklahoma Tournament this past weekend. In what has become somewhat of a routine, Shelby Davis led off the bottom of the first with a single, stole second and scored when Tiffany Mikkelson's grounder to second was mishandled by Claire Fritsch. Davis' .488 average when leading off an inning has been monumental in opening frames this season, as the Cowgirls have gone a perfect 8-0 when scoring in the first.

In the third, Davis again led off with a base hit, stole second and third and came home on Mikkelson's RBI single to short. In the following at-bat, Vanessa Shippy hit a grounder to second, but Fritsch's toss to the bag was dropped by shortstop Megan Blank, allowing Shianne Hughes to come in from third.

The tide turned in top of the fourth, though, as Iowa finally broke through against OSU starter Jessi Haffner. After keeping the Hawkeyes scoreless the first three frames, Haffner allowed four hits in the fourth, leading to five runs and two-run Iowa lead.

The Cowgirls were blanked in the fourth, but with two outs in the fifth, Michaela Patton worked a walk, bringing Gessenia DeLaCruz to the plate. After working a 3-2 count, the senior sent a high blast toward left that curled just around the foul pole, tying the game back up at five.

In the sixth, Iowa seemed destined to retake the lead when leadoff batter Whitney Repole singled to left and advanced to third on a throwing error from Maddi Holcomb. The OSU defense made a huge stand, though, as catcher Miranda Cavin backpicked Repole at third after a failed squeeze attempt.

The Hawkeyes knocked on the door again the seventh after loading the bases with one out, but Brandi Needham came on to replace reliever Meagan Lively, and would provide a huge boost of momentum heading into the final frame. Needham forced a grounder to first baseman Darcy Taylor, who fired to home for the force and made a stretch on the return throw to complete a monumental double play.

With the score knotted at five in the seventh, Cavin worked a one-out walk to reach base as the potential game-winning run. In the next at-bat, Taylor lined a sharp single to right-center, bringing Patton to the plate with Cavin standing on third. Wieligman put on the suicide squeeze call, and Patton delivered a well-placed bunt that allowed Cavin to slide safely into home after a close throw from pitcher Shayla Starkenburg.

Patton's successful squeeze capped off a wild affair with the Hawkeyes, while also giving Oklahoma State its first seven-inning walk-off of the season.

The thrilling victory came at a perfect time for the Cowgirls, who were tasked with combating Central Arkansas standout hurler Kylee Studioso (14-2, 2.35 ERA) in the second half of the doubleheader. After Studioso and Needham battled through two and a half scoreless innings, Oklahoma State jumped on the board in the bottom of third, providing the only offense needed to clinch the shutout victory.

Again, it was Davis who got things going, as she stole second after knocking a one-out single to left. After Hughes singled on a well-placed bunt, Mikkelson drove a single through the left side, bringing in Davis from third. Three batters later, Danielle Riddle came to the plate with the bases loaded and drove a two-out double to right, putting the Cowgirls ahead, 4-0, with three crucial insurance runs.

In the circle, Needham delivered one of the most dominant performances of her career, allowing only three hits in the complete game victory. After giving up two singles in the first, Needham only surrendered one hit over the remainder of the contest, allowing the senior to earn her third win in her last three appearances.

Offensively, Davis finished the twin-bill with three hits, three runs scored and four stolen bases, pushing her season total to a whopping 30 swiped bags. Mikkelson also had a big day at the plate, as she posted three base-hits and two RBIs. With base-hits in each of Tuesday's contests, Mikkelson extended her current hitting streak to a team-high 11 games.

After surpassing the .500 mark for the first time in 2015, the Cowgirls will ride a five-game winning streak into this weekend's road trip, which begins with a doubleheader at Utah Valley on Thursday. Oklahoma State will conclude its stay in Utah with a three-game set at BYU before returning home with a battle against Tulsa on Wednesday, March 25.