Cowgirl Softball Thwarted by Pair of Top-15 Foes

Friday, February 19

Clearwater, FL

12:15 PM

Oklahoma State University

2-4

Tennessee

5-3

Tennessee

Oklahoma State

February 19, 2016 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Oklahoma State softball team opened play against two top-15 opponents at the Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Foundation Invitational in Clearwater, Fla., on Friday, falling to No. 12 Tennessee, 14-4, and third-ranked Auburn, 6-1.

The Cowgirls held close with both SEC powerhouses throughout, but were hindered by strong offensive efforts from both opposing squads.

"I think the most important thing that we've talked about from day one here is that we want to play a good schedule," head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "I want our kids to have a feeling of where we actually are, where we stand and what we've got to do to get better. I think we can take a lot out of both of these games."

Oklahoma State will resume play at the competition on Saturday, taking on DePaul at 9 a.m. CT and South Florida at 1:45 p.m. CT.

Game One – No. 12 Tennessee 14, Oklahoma State 4 (5)
Earning the start for the Cowgirls was Brandi Needham, who came into the contest with a 1-2 record and a 2.94 ERA. The Vols struck early against Needham, using a two-out single off the bat of Shaliyah Geathers to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

Needham recovered with a 1-2-3 outing in the second and earned some run support from her offense in the bottom of the frame. Freshman Madi Sue Montgomery drove the first pitch of the inning off the wall in right, and beat out a bang-bang play a third to open the threat with the Cowgirls' first triple of the season. On the next pitch, Darcy Taylor put a high fly into center, allowing Montgomery to score on a sacrifice fly.

After seeing the Cowgirls claw out a run, UT responded with five in the third, with four unearned runs coming after a pair of Oklahoma State errors. Randee O'Donnell was unable to handle a chopper to short, and Maddi Holcomb misplayed a single to center that eventually rolled all the way to the wall.

The Oklahoma State offense again came to Needham's aid in the fourth, as the Cowgirls used back-to-back two out hits to punch out three runs. With Montgomery on first and O'Donnell on second, Maddi Holcomb squeaked a seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield, allowing O'Donnell to score.

In the next at-bat, Vanessa Shippy struck a two-run double to deep left-center, scoring both Holcomb on Montgomery on the play.

Cutting the deficit to 6-4 was as close as the Cowgirls would come, though, as Tennessee broke the game open in the top of the fifth with eight runs on five hits, two walks and a HBP with the bases loaded.

"In that first game, I think we kind of let some things get away from us, and it fell apart on us quick," Gajewski said. "It was a pretty good game for about four and a half innings, and then it just kind of unraveled. It just goes to show you that if you don't do the little things well, it will catch you against good teams."

The Vols then clinched the run-rule victory after holding Oklahoma State scoreless in the bottom of the frame. Montgomery led the way for the Cowgirls with a 2-for-2, two-RBI performance.

Game Two – No. 3 Auburn 6, Oklahoma State 1
After taking on No. 12 Tennessee earlier in the day, Oklahoma State was tasked with taking on third-ranked Auburn in the second half of Friday's doubleheader. Kacy Freeze got the nod in the circle, making her first start since posting a win against Abilene Christian last weekend.

Auburn, which boasted the No. 1 offense in the nation coming into the weekend, displayed its offensive prowess from the start as they took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on Whitney Jordan's RBI single and a passed ball.

Despite allowing two in the first, Freeze got into a groove against the Tigers, retiring seven-straight Auburn batters between the first and third frames.

"I think Kacy Freeze was really strong in that second game," Gajewski said. "As good as she was to hold them down to only five hits, she had seven free passes that eventually let them turn their lineup over for a fourth time. It's just hard to keep good hitters down in that fourth at-bat."

Two-out hitting continued to come around for the Cowgirls, as Darcy Taylor and Berkley Faulkner lined back-to-back hits to give the Cowgirls a scoring opportunity in the bottom of the second. However, the Tigers were able cut down the threat when
Taylor Lynch grounded out to the circle to conclude the inning.

Things got shaky for Freeze in the fourth, as she plunked three Auburn batters over the course of the frame. The senior got within a strike of safely getting out of the inning, but surrendered a two-out, two-run triple to Madi Gipson, extending the Auburn lead to 4-0.

Oklahoma State eventually entered the scoring column in the bottom of the fourth, beginning when O'Donnell reached second on an error to open the inning. In the next AB, Taylor powered a single down the left field line, scoring O'Donnell and cutting the Oklahoma State deficit to 4-1.

The Cowgirls continued to battle against the Tigers, and even had the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the sixth. Pinch hit singles from Michaela Patton and Dre McKee gave Shippy a chance to tie up the contest, but the sophomore grounded out to second to end Oklahoma State's final scoring chance.

Freeze handled the feisty Auburn lineup for a majority of the afternoon, allowing only five hits to the nation's No. 1 offense. The scrappy Tigers were able to produce two insurance runs in the top of the sixth, thanks to a double and a triple in consecutive at-bats from Jenna Abbott and Whitney Jordan.

Oklahoma State outhit Auburn thanks to base-hits from six different Cowgirls, including a 2-for-3 effort from Taylor.

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.