Cowgirls Sweep Doubleheader at Kansas

Thursday, April 5

Lawrence, KS

2 P.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

26-11, 5-2

Kansas

25-13, 0-4

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Oklahoma State	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	6	0
Kansas	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	9	1

Photo by: OSU Athletics

April 05, 2018 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

PDF Box Score - Game One
PDF Box Score - Game Two

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Oklahoma State softball team picked up a pair of conference victories over Kansas on Thursday, as the Cowgirls bested the Jayhawks, 2-1 and 7-0, in a doubleheader at Arrocha Ballpark.

The victories push OSU out to 27-11 for the year and the Cowgirls sit at 6-2 in Big 12 play thus far.

"This team had every reason to make excuses and not come out here and play well, but they didn't do that," head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "I think it's a credit to coach Wes Ulm and everything that he does in the weight room with them. These kids are so physically and mentally tough and I think that showed here today."

The Cowgirl bats came to life in the nightcap of Thursday's doubleheader, as OSU racked up seven runs on 12 hits to cap off the doubleheader sweep.

OSU, leading 1-0, put up a four-spot in the fourth inning thanks to some timely two-out hitting from the top of the order. Taylor Lynch and Madi Sue Montgomery drove home the first runs of the inning, each logging base hits, and then Sydney Pennington laced a two-RBI double through the left side.

The freshman has driven in 36 runs so far this season, which is the second most among the Cowgirls in 2018.

She trails only Madi Sue Montgomery, who went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and two runs scored in Thursday's nightcap. Montgomery's impressive showing included an RBI triple in the top of the sixth that pushed the Cowgirls out to a 6-0 lead. She tallied four RBI in total across both of Thursday's contests, bringing her to a team-high 43 for the season.

The left-handed hitter also now holds sole possession of sixth place in program history with 131 runs bated in during her career.

Emmie Robertson capped off OSU's nightcap victory with a dominating performance in the circle, where she allowed no runs on three hits. Robertson struck out three, walked none and improved to 9-4 on the year with her complete-game shutout.

"I thought Emmie set the tone for us right from the start," Gajewski said. "The top of our order was really good and got on base, but we were really good up and down. Madi Sue Montgomery, Pennington and others had big at-bats. It was good to see, but the bottom line is that we pitched very, very well all day long."

In the day's opening contest, the Pokes needed nine innings to best the Jayhawks. Chelsea Alexander scored the winning run in a 2-1 affair, as she bolted home from second base after Maddi Holcomb lined a ball through the first baseman's legs.

Aside from proving to be the difference in the final scoreline, Alexander's run was a big moment for the Cowgirls' offense, which struggled to get things going outside of a red-hot start to the contest.

Oklahoma State pounced on the Jayhawks quickly with three straight singles to lead off the game and give the Cowgirls a 1-0 lead. Vanessa Shippy started the trio of hits with a slap to right field, and Montgomery drove Shippy home two batters later with a liner to center.

Shippy reached base as the Cowgirls' first batter in both of Thursday's contest, as she followed her single in the opener with a double down the left-field line in the nightcap. She has reached base as OSU's leadoff batter in 19 of the Cowgirls' last 23 games, walking on 10 of those occasions.

The bats went cold after that early outburst, however, and to get to the ninth, the Cowgirls relied on Samantha Clakley and Logan Simunek in the circle. Clakley allowed just one run in a season-high 7.2 innings of work, while Simunek pitched the final four outs and improved to 7-3 for her efforts in relief.

Defensively, Jessi Haffner had 20 putouts against the Jayhawks during the first game of the doubleheader. That is the most putouts by a Cowgirl since Ryan Realmuto had 23 against KU in an 11-inning contest on March 16, 2003.

"Game one was a grind, obviously," Gajewski said afterward. "I thought the bus ride and getting in late had a little bit of an effect on us. Credit their kid though. I thought she threw very well. We just got enough done to score a run late. We pitched very well. I thought Sam was really good and Logan came in late and clutched up. It was a tough, Big 12 conference game."

Oklahoma State and Kansas will attempt to wrap up the three-game series tomorrow at 3 p.m. CT. The forecast calls for cold temperatures, high winds and possible snow in the Lawrence area, so if the game cannot be played the teams will hold out and try to squeeze in the finale on either Saturday at 2 p.m. or Sunday at 1 p.m.

For the latest information on this weekend's schedule, follow the Cowgirls on Twitter (@CowgirlSB), Facebook (Cowgirl Softball) and Instagram (osusoftball).