Pair of Grand Slams Lead Cowgirls to Wins over DePaul, South Florida

Saturday, February 20

Clearwater, FL

9:00 AM

Oklahoma State University

3-5

DePaul

2-6

Oklahoma State

DePaul

Pair of Grand Slams Lead Cowgirls to Wins over DePaul, South Florida

February 20, 2016 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Oklahoma State softball team grabbed back-to-back victories at the Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Foundation Invitational in Clearwater, Fla., on Saturday, as the Cowgirls took down DePaul, 7-2, and South Florida, 12-3.

Oklahoma State provided an effective all-around effort in the doubleheader sweep, as it earned two complete game victories in the circle and an offensive outburst in the back end of the twin-bill.

Against South Florida, Madi Sue Montgomery and Tiffany Mikkelson both hit grand slams, marking the first time the Cowgirls have done such a feat since March 13, 2006, when Kim Kaye and Krystle Sanchez each launched grand slams in a win over Truman State.

OSU will wrap up play at the competition on Sunday, as the Cowgirls take on No. 19 James Madison at 8 a.m. CT.

Game One – Oklahoma State 7, DePaul 2
Having already defeated DePaul earlier this season, the nod in the circle was given to Brandi Needham, who tossed a complete-game shutout against the Demons on Feb. 13.

The same story played out for Needham and the Cowgirls, as she went the distance in a 7-2 victory. Needham's only trouble came in the fifth, and she breezed through the rest of the contest by consistently hitting the strike zone and forcing groundouts.

Her effectiveness in the circle was evidenced by her final pitch count, which finished at 77 compared to DePaul's 169.

"I was very happy with the way we bounced back after last night's games," head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "I just think it shows a lot of fight and it shows that our team is starting to figure out some of the little things here."

Madi Sue Montgomery got the Oklahoma State offense rolling in the first with a two-out double to deep center. OSU couldn't push a run across, but it set the tone for a game in which eight different Cowgirls finished with base-hits.

Oklahoma State nearly got things done the hard way in the second, as the Cowgirls loaded the bases via a walk, HBP and an infield single. With two outs, Maddi Holcomb sent a grounder deep into the hole at short, but was robbed of an infield hit and a run when she was called out on a bang-bang play at first.

Darcy Taylor helped the Cowgirls finally break through with a three-run home run in the third, one that came at the conclusion of a 14-pitch at bat. After fouling off nine pitches in the at-bat, Taylor took the one she wanted over the wall for her first home run of the season.

With a 3-0 lead heading into the fifth, Oklahoma State used timely hitting from Tiffany Mikkelson and Jessi Haffner to put the Blue Demons away. In the fifth, Haffner came on to pinch hit with two outs and brought home Randee O'Donnell with a single to left.

An inning later, Mikkelson came up with two outs and delivered a two-run single up the middle, bringing in Holcomb and Vanessa Shippy for a 7-2 OSU advantage. As a team, Oklahoma State went 4-for-11 and produced six runs in two-out situations.

Needham finished with a solid line in the circle, allowing five hits and two earned runs over the full seven. The victory moved the junior to 2-3 on the season.

Game Two – Oklahoma State 12, South Florida, 3 (5)
Oklahoma State earned its first run-rule victory of the season in Saturday's 12-3 win over South Florida, which was called after five innings of play.

"In the second game, I challenged our team," Gajewski said. "South Florida is a well-coached team, and I thought we were able to get the upper hand on them quickly and cause them to go away. I was very happy with the way we played."

Despite a final line which featured 12 runs and 10 hits from the OSU offense, the Cowgirls and Bulls both went hitless over the first two frames, thanks to effective pitching from Oklahoma State starter Kacy Freeze and USF starter Susan Wysocki.

It was all Oklahoma State from the third inning on, as the Cowgirls broke loose with five runs in the top of the frame. With the bases loaded and two outs, Montgomery roped a line drive to right that skipped past USF's Mia Fung and rolled all the way to the wall. With a hot start out of the box, Montgomery was able to motor all the way home and register an inside the park grand slam, giving OSU a 4-0 lead.

The inning continued as Red Reasnor wore an inside pitch, Mikkelson smacked a single up the middle and Taylor reached on an error, ultimately ending on Reasnor scoring the final run of the inning. Each of the Cowgirls' five runs in the third came with two outs, capping a day in which Oklahoma State notched 11 two-out RBI's over both contests.

Shockingly enough, the Cowgirls topped their third inning run count in the following frame, as they plated seven runs in the top of the fourth on six hits, three walks and their second grand slam of the game.

Montgomery drew a bases-loaded walk and Reasnor hit a run-scoring single before Mikkelson stepped to the plate with the bases juiced. The senior then launched a 1-2 pitch high over the left field fence for her second home run of the season, one that pushed the OSU lead to 11-0.

"We've been so close to breaking the game wide open in so many games," Gajewski said. "For the first time, we did that today. I was over in the third base box just thinking that this was finally what we knew we were capable of. Now we get a chance to face one of the hottest teams in America tomorrow."

Oklahoma State wasn't done with its timely hitting though, a walk from Berkley Faulkner and singles from Randee O'Donnell and Taylor Lynch allowed the Cowgirls to tack on their seventh run of the inning.

In the circle, Freeze was masterful throughout a majority of the contest, as she failed to surrender a USF base-hit until the bottom of the fourth inning. Overall, she only allowed three hits and three earned runs against the Bulls, earning the senior her second victory of the season.

A bulk of the Cowgirls' scoring output came through Montgomery (1-for-3, 5 RBIs) and Mikkelson (2-for-3, 4 RBIs), while Shianne Hughes and Lynch each posted multi-hit efforts.

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.