Cowgirls Fall To USSSA Pride

STILLWATER- Oklahoma State softball fell 5-0 to he USSSA Pride of the National Pro Fastpitch league at Cowgirl Stadium Thursday.

The Cowgirls (4-1) drop their first game of the fall season after four-straight wins.

"I thought it was awesome," Coach Kenny Gajewski said. "It's an opportunity to play against real live pros. For us, we had some kids that were really good."

Junior Vanessa Shippy was one of those bright spots for OSU, going 2-2 and one hit by pitch. She got the Cowgirls started with a double down the line in the bottom of the first.

"This was a great experience," Shippy said. "It's just great to have really good players here. It's a really high-caliber team and very well coached. This is the best you're going to get and the best competition you are going to find."

Oklahoma State hit six balls against the Pride and only allowed five runs against a professional fastpitch team.

Oklahoma State faired well despite facing some of the best softball players in the country. OSU rotated through five different pitchers to give them experience against the pros of the Pride.

"I think the most important thing for us is that Shea Coats played tonight," Gajewski said. "She hasn't thrown all fall, she's been nursing a hamstring. To get her out here was a big deal and she gave up a run, but she really threw the ball well."

Freshman Logan Simunek also entered the game and recorded a strikeout in the seventh.

"Logan was great again," Gajewski said. "She is starting to really trust herself."

"Our pitchers pitched amazing," Shippy said.

The team was excited about competing with USSSA and getting a chance to see how the pros handle themselves.

"I was more excited because I looked up to all of these players at one point in time," Junior Whitney Whitehorn said. "I was just really excited to compete against them."

Whitehorn was another pitcher with a good performance, only allowing one run in two innings.

The crowd was out in full force to see the Cowgirls play, with 653 in attendance.

Gajewski was encouraged by the atmosphere at Cowgirls Stadium and looks forward to many more similar crows in the spring.

"It thought we had a great crowd," Gajewski said. "I thought the energy was really good."

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Up next: The Cowgirls return to action Sunday as they host the Arkansas Razorbacks. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. with free admission.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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