Cowgirl Softball Suffers 4-1 Defeat against No. 19 James Madison

Sunday, February 21

Clearwater, FL

8:00 AM

Oklahoma State University

4-6

James Madison

9-1

James Madison

Oklahoma State

Cowgirl Softball Suffers 4-1 Defeat against No. 19 James Madison

February 21, 2016 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Oklahoma State softball team battled against No. 19 James Madison in the final day of the Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Foundation Invitational on Sunday, but was eventually defeated, 4-1.

Three Cowgirl errors paved the way for a pair of unearned runs, while the Cowgirl offense was limited by JMU pitcher Megan Good, who was an All-American in 2015.

"It was a tough game, but that's why we scheduled this type of schedule," head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "I feel like our girls were ready, but we ran into a really good arm and a really good team. We're learning a lot about our own team though, and we're really close to knocking off one of these teams that we're trying to compare ourselves to."

A large part of the contest featured a pitching duel between Good and Cowgirl starter Kacy Freeze, as the two kept the game scoreless through four innings of play.

Freeze maneuvered her way out of multiple jams early on to help keep the James Madison offense at bay. The Dukes placed runners in scoring position in the first and third innings, but Freeze was able to put down the opposing side on both
occasions.

Oklahoma State had its share of scoring chances as well, as the Cowgirls placed runners in scoring position in the first and in the third. Their best shot emerged in the third after Vanessa Shippy sliced a one-out triple down the left field line, but the sophomore was stranded at third after Maddi Holcomb struck out swinging and Madi Sue Montgomery flied out to left.

The deadlock came to an end in the top of the fifth when James Madison plated a pair of runs on singles from Madyson Moran and Morgan Tolle, both of which came after the Cowgirl defense let a pop up in the infield fall for a base hit to lead off the inning.

OSU gained a dose of momentum in the bottom the sixth, as Montgomery blasted a solo shot to right center to cut the deficit to 2-1. It marked the fourth home run in only ten games for the freshmen, and was also the first earned run allowed by Good in 38 innings of work this season.

"I'm proud of our freshman, and I thought she hit a really big home run that really injected some life into this club," Gajewski said. "We just couldn't go up there and put up a zero in that last inning, as a couple of defensive miscues put us down."

Those defensive lapses led to a pair of JMU insurance runs in the top of the seventh. After Holcomb was unable to hold on to a deep fly ball to center, JMU's Taylor Newton stepped to the dish with runners on second and third and two outs. On the ensuing play, Newton hit a ground ball between first and second that was misplayed by Shippy, allowing both runners to score.

James Madison's Jailyn Ford came on to pitch in the sixth, and eventually earned the save after shutting down the Oklahoma State offense in the final frame.

Freeze's performance in the circle was effective, as she allowed only two earned runs on nine hits. The defeat pushed her record to 2-3 on the season and moved OSU to 4-6 moving into next weekend's competition.

"I'm really happy with the way Kacy pitched, and she was lights out," Gajewski said. "We just didn't do anything to help her out on the defensive side, and that's on me. I've been very vocal to this team on hanging their hats on the defense, but I'm proud of her."

Oklahoma State will resume play at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Feb. 24, as they open the tournament against San Diego State.

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.