Cowgirls Drop Two at CenturyLink Classic

Friday, February 12

San Marcos, TX

5:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

0-1

Texas State

2-0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Oklahoma State	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	0
Texas State	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	3	9	1

February 12, 2016 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

San Marcos, TEXAS – The Oklahoma State softball team dropped a pair of decisions at the CenturyLink Classic in San Marcos, Texas, on Friday, falling to Texas State, 3-1, and Northwestern State, 9-3.

The Cowgirls remained close throughout both contests, as they dropped a walk-off decision to Texas State and had the tying run at the plate in the sixth inning of the nightcap. The loss against Texas State marked only the second defeat in the last ten season openers for Oklahoma State, who had won eight-consecutive Opening Day contests prior to 2015.

OSU will return to action on Saturday, as the Cowgirls take on DePaul at 3 p.m. and Abilene Christian at 7 p.m.

Game One – Texas State 3, OSU 1
Oklahoma State found itself locked in a pitchers' duel against the Bobcats, as Brandi Needham and Randi Rupp duked it out for the full contest.

"Brandi looked great tonight, and we really like what she brought to the table for more than six innings," head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "She was able to consistently pound the zone and get outs when she needed to. Solid outing for her tonight."

The Cowgirls jumped ahead in the bottom of the third when senior Tiffany Mikkelson lined a two-out double to center, scoring Maddi Holcomb from third. The run-scoring play came three at-bats after Holcomb singled to lead off the inning.

Texas State provided an immediate answer, as the Bobcats tacked on a run of their own in the bottom of the frame. With one out and runners on first and third, Kendall Wiley sent a grounder to second, producing a run on before being thrown out at first.

The two squads remained scoreless for the next three innings, as Needham continued to work her way out of jams and produce outs. The junior finished with eight strikeouts on the night, marking her second-highest single-game total in an OSU uniform before her 10-strikeout performance against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2015.

Rupp was also effective though, as she allowed only one OSU base-hit over the final four innings. With one out and a runner on in the bottom of the seventh, Bianca Prado lined an 0-2 pitch over the left field wall to give Texas State the walk-off win.

Offensively, Oklahoma State was outhit by the host Bobcats, 9-3. Highlights from the offensive output included Taylor Lynch's first-career base-hit as a Cowgirl, which came on a single to left in the top of the fifth.

Game Two – Northwestern State 9, OSU 3
Despite falling to defeat in Friday's opener, Oklahoma State came out firing against Northwestern State, producing a run in the bottom of the first off of Red Reasnor's infield single. Scoring on the play was Lynch, who reached earlier in the inning on a double to deep center field.

The Lady Demons, who finished the 2015 regular season as the Southland Conference champions, responded with six unanswered runs, including three on Kellye Kincannon's three-run blast in the fifth. Natalie Landry was a thorn in the Cowgirls' side throughout the entire contest, plating one in the second and two in the third.

Northwestern State's offensive burst came against Cowgirl pitcher Kacy Freeze, who was making her first appearance in an OSU uniform. Freeze pitched 3.1 innings against the Lady Demons before making way for Shea Coats, who gave up three earned runs over the final 3.2 frames.

"When you give up a big lead that early, it's always going to be tough to come back," Gajewski said. "We had a couple of errors that came back to haunt us, and we simply can't have that."

With the Cowgirls trailing, 6-1, in the bottom of the sixth, Madi Sue Montgomery sparked a rally with a two-run homer to right-center. The blast was Montgomery's first collegiate home run, and helped her finish with a 2-for-6 mark on the night.

Following Montgomery's home run, Michaela Patton and Darcy Taylor both reached base to put the tying run on for Shianne Hughes. However, the senior grounded out to the circle to end the inning and cut down the Cowgirl threat.

After pushing the lead to 9-3, Northwestern State pitcher Micaela Bouvier capped off a complete game victory with a perfect bottom of the seventh.

Season tickets for the 2016 Cowgirl softball season are now available, starting at $50 for general admission seating and $75 for seats in the reserved lower level. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 877-ALL-4-OSU, at the OSU Athletics Ticket Office or online at http://okla.st/SoftballSeasonTickets-2016.