Cowgirls Push Win Streak to Four in Doubleheader Sweep

Saturday, March 12

Stillwater, OK

2:30 PM

Oklahoma State University

10-11

Cleveland State

4-12

Oklahoma State

Cleveland State

March 12, 2016 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State softball team won its third and fourth consecutive games on Saturday with victories over Cleveland State and Miami (OH) at the Mizuno Classic.

The Cowgirls (11-11) received strong outings in the circle from Shea Coats and Brandi Needham, who each led the way in a 9-4 win over Cleveland State and a 7-2 victory over Miami (OH). With the pair of victories, Oklahoma State moved to .500 for the first time in 2016.

"I thought today really showed how we can pitch," head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "I don't think that we're a lock-down staff, but I think that we're a staff that can jam kids, can get a few strikeouts and can compete in the strike zone. We did that today."

Game One – Oklahoma State 9, Cleveland State 4
Coats got the start in the circle for the Cowgirls' first contest of the afternoon. The first runs of the game came from in the bottom of the first as Cleveland State's Riley Ries hit an RBI single, followed by a two-run home run from Erica McNew.

Coats then held Cleveland State scoreless for the next 3 innings. The Vikings added a run in the fifth, and were threatening in the sixth when Kacy Freeze came on in relief for Coats. Freeze threw two scoreless innings, and eventually snagged her third save of the year.

The Cowgirls notched two runs of their own in the top of the second. Red Reasnor singled up the middle to lead off the inning, beginning a 2-for-3 effort with a pair of singles. Dre McKee and Berkley Faulkner both walked to load the bases, and Maddi Holcomb delivered a two-run RBI single to score Reasnor and McKee.

After a scoreless inning for the Vikings, two more Cowgirl runs crossed in the top of the third to give Oklahoma State a 4-3 lead. Tiffany Mikkelson reached first on a fielder's choice, and stole second on the next pitch. Reasnor moved Mikkelson over to third with a single to right field, and Madi Sue Montgomery and Jessi Haffner both hit fielders' choice groundouts to score Mikkelson and Shianne Hughes.

"We're just not a team who can give away things," Gajewski said. "We have to be able to pounce on things, whether it's from stealing bags, playing catch or not giving away extra bases. If we can do that, we're really a solid team."

The runs kept coming for the Cowgirls as they poured on two more in the top of the fourth. Taylor Lynch hit a triple to left center to score Vanessa Shippy, and Mikkelson hit an infield single to score Lynch.

The Cowgirls continued their dominant offensive performance with one run each in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, including a solo home run from Mikkelson in the sixth. It was Mikkelson's fifth homer of the season, leaving her only four shy of the all-time home run record in program history.

Lynch (2-for-4, RBI), Mikkelson (2-for-4, 2 RBI, HR) and Reasnor (2-for-4) each finished with multi-hit efforts for the OSU offense, which also stole a season-high seven bases against the Vikings.

Game Two – Oklahoma State 7, Miami (OH) 2
As was the story in the first half of Saturday's doubleheader, the Oklahoma State offense was again strong against Miami (OH), pounding out seven runs on 12 hits.

Needham was in charge of the OSU pitching arsenal this time around, and she delivered a complete game victory to earn her fourth win of the year. The junior finished with three strikeouts, and was helped by an Oklahoma State defense that posted its third-straight game without an error.

"Brandi was as good as I've seen her today," Gajewski said. "That's the kid that I saw in the fall. When she goes like that, it's a lot of fun."

Shippy and Lynch started the bottom of the first with a pair of singles, allowing Shippy to eventually score on a fielder's choice groundout from Montgomery. An inning later, Shippy blasted her first home run of the season, a two-run shot that helped the Cowgirls to a 3-0 lead after two innings of play.

The Oklahoma State bats were back at it again in the fourth, as Reasnor delivered a two-out double to left-center that scored Lynch from first. The Redhawks responded with individual runs in both the fifth and sixth innings, but were immediately answered by the Cowgirl attack.

After grabbing a run in the fifth on an infield RBI single from Lynch, Montgomery and Darcy Taylor launched back-to-back solo shots in the sixth, pushing Oklahoma State's lead to 7-2. Montgomery's home run was her fifth of the season, a mark the leads the Cowgirls and ranks among the top ten leaders in the conference.

With a 3-for-4 effort in the nightcap, Lynch finished with five hits in eight at-bats on the day, pushing her average to a team-high mark of .393. Taylor (2-for-3, HR), and Shippy (2-for-3, HR) also registered multi-hit performances to lead the way for the OSU offense.

The Cowgirls will wrap up competition at the Mizuno Classic on Sunday, as they look for their fifth-straight win in a 12 p.m. matchup against Cleveland State.