Big Seventh Inning Propels Cowgirl Softball to 10-7 Victory

Wednesday, March 2

Fayetteville, AR

5:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

Arkansas

Big Seventh Inning Propels Cowgirl Softball to 10-7 Victory

March 02, 2016 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Oklahoma State softball team used a four-run seventh inning to break a 6-6 tie and eventually take down Arkansas, 10-7, at Bogle Park on Wednesday.

The victory helped snap a three-game losing streak for the Cowgirls, and puts them at 6-10 heading into their home opener against Dartmouth on Friday.

"It's a really good step in the right direction for this team," head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "To give the lead up, and then to get back and score four more runs when the momentum had been taken away was exciting for me to see. It gives this team the knowledge that they can come back. It was a big step in the right direction."

The home side came out swinging against OSU starter Brandi Needham, as leadoff hitter Stephanie Canfield lined a single up the middle to start off the bottom of the first. Needham recovered with two quick outs, but a two-out single from Rachel Box gave the Razorbacks a 1-0 lead after an inning of play.

After going hitless in the first, Oklahoma State broke out with three base-hits in the top of the second. Tiffany Mikkelson led off the inning with a walk and came around to score on an RBI single from Randee O'Donnell. Three batters later, Taylor Lynch knocked in Miranda Cavin with a single through the right side, putting Oklahoma State ahead, 2-1.

Arkansas battled back in the bottom of the second, beginning with a one-out single to left. After a dropped third strike, Cavin's throw to first sailed over Darcy Taylor's head, allowing Parker Pocklington to score all the way from first and knot the score back up at two runs apiece.

For the next two innings, it was all Oklahoma State, as the Cowgirls used a run in the third and a three-spot in the fourth to take a four-run lead.

Oklahoma State's big fourth inning was sparked by Vanessa Shippy, who led off the frame with a single to left. Lynch and Red Reasnor followed with singles of their own, bringing up Mikkelson with the bases loaded and one out.

Mikkelson would eventually strike out, but not before a wild pitch brought home Shippy to put the Cowgirls up by a pair of runs. One at-bat later, Taylor blasted a two-out double into the left-center alley, extending the Oklahoma State advantage to 6-2.

Needham settled into a groove after the second, as she kept the Razorbacks off the board in the third and fourth innings. With a four-run lead at hand, Needham was replaced by senior Kacy Freeze in the fifth.

Freeze put Arkansas down in order in the fifth, but ran into trouble in the following frame after giving up back-to-back RBI base-hits to Canfield and Tori Cooper. An ensuing groundout put a pair of outs on the scoreboard, but Diaz lined a two-run single through the left side to complete the Razorbacks' comeback.

"We've worked hard this whole week," Gajewski said. "Brandi threw some really good pitches, and I thought that Kacy did the same. She just left a couple balls up, and good teams are going to punish you if you leave it up. It was another step in the right direction."

Despite seeing their four-run lead dissipate in the bottom of the sixth, the Cowgirls roared back with four of their own in the top of seventh. Oklahoma State began the inning with back-to-back walks, putting runners on first and second with no outs. A groundout advanced the runners to third, and Shippy knocked in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to left.

A one-run lead wasn't enough though, as Madi Sue Montgomery stepped to the plate two at-bats later and blasted a three-run homer to straightaway center, giving the Cowgirls a four-run cushion. The clutch longball was Montgomery's fourth of the season, and helped the freshman end a stretch of three-straight games without a base-hit.

Arkansas was able to tack on an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh, but Freeze struck out Lauren Archuleta to seal the victory for the Cowgirls. Freeze moved to 3-4 on the season with the win.

The Oklahoma State lineup starred from top to bottom, as each Cowgirl in the starting nine posted a base-hit in Wednesday's win. Lynch led the way with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, while Taylor and O'Donnell both contributed multi-RBI efforts.
Next up for Oklahoma State is the 2016 home opener, which will kick off at 4 p.m. on Friday with a doubleheader against Dartmouth.

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.