Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
18-21, 2-5
Iowa State
19-16, 0-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma State | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 1 |
| Iowa State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
Cowgirls Trounce Cyclones, 11-1
April 10, 2015 | Cowgirl Softball
April 10, 2015
AMES, Iowa -- After falling in three straight contests against Kansas last weekend, the Oklahoma State softball team returned to the win column on Friday, defeating Iowa State, 11-1, at the Cyclone Sports Complex in Ames, Iowa.
OSU (18-21, 2-5) pounded out nine hits and three long balls in the blowout victory, which was called due to run rule after five innings. In the circle, the Cowgirls were led by Brandi Needham, who pitched her way to her 11th victory of the season.
"We came out today clicking on all cylinders, and that's exactly what we needed to in order to bounce back from last weekend," head coach Rich Wieligman said. "It seemed like everything went our way today, and the girls played great. We'll look to build off of this win and keep the momentum rolling throughout the rest of the series."
Things couldn't have started out better for Oklahoma State, as Mallory Collins and Dre McKee each produced run-scoring singles in the top of the first, giving the Cowgirls a 2-0 advantage from the start. In the second, Randee O'Donnell took the first pitch of the inning deep to left, handing the freshman her first-career collegiate home run.
Despite rushing out to a 3-0 lead, OSU kept its foot on the pedal and broke the game open with four runs in the third. Tiffany Mikkelson got things started with a walk, and moved to second on Vanessa Shippy's single to left. The following two Cowgirls popped out, but three-consecutive two-out walks gave Mikkelson and Shippy free passes home.
With two on two outs, Shelby Davis stepped to the plate and delivered a two-RBI base-hit to left, pushing the OSU lead to 7-0 after the first two and a half innings of play. Davis' two hits added to her offensive tear in conference play, as the senior has now produced multi-hit efforts in six out of seven Big 12 contests this season.
The rest of the Cowgirls' production at the plate came through Mikkelson, who blasted her ninth and tenth home runs of the year in each of the next two frames. The junior led off the fourth with a solo shot off the scoreboard in left, and blasted a three-run homer to dead center in the fifth. The second of Mikkelson's pair of long balls pushed her RBI count to 40 and extended OSU's lead to 11-0.
With the offense doing its part, Needham breezed through the first four innings unscathed. The sophomore kept the Cyclones scoreless until the fifth, and posted three strikeouts in her 13th complete game of the season.
The run-rule victory puts the Cowgirls at 2-5 in conference play heading into Saturday's contest, which is set to begin at 12 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Needham, Brandi (11-10)
L: Johnson, Katie (9-10)
Batting:
HR: Mikkelson, Tiffany 2 ; O'Donnell, Randee 1
RBI: Davis, Shelby 2 ; Mikkelson, Tiffany 4 ; Collins, Mallory 1 ; McKee, Dre 1 ; O'Donnell, Randee 2 ; Cavin, Miranda 1
SH: Hughes, Shianne 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hughes, Shianne 1 ; Mikkelson, Tiffany 4 ; Shippy, Vanessa 2 ; Riddle, Danielle 1 ; O'Donnell, Randee 2 ; Cavin, Miranda 1
CS: Hughes, Shianne 1 ; Shippy, Vanessa 1
Batting:
2B: Cappaert, Aly 1 ; Spendlove, Jorden 1
RBI: Slater, Lexi 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bingham, Cathlin 1
HBP: Bingham, Cathlin 1
