Cowgirls Falter in NCAA Tournament Opener

Friday, May 18

Fayetteville, AR

1:30 P.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

38-21

Wichita State

31-21

Wichita State

Oklahoma State

Photo by: Charles Taylor

May 18, 2018 | Cowgirl Softball

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Postgame Quotes

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Oklahoma State softball team got off to a rocky start in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional, dropping its opening matchup to Wichita State, 8-2, on Friday at Bogle Park.

The Cowgirls (38-21) jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the opening frame, but from there they surrendered eight unanswered runs before ultimately conceding the contest.

"Obviously not the way we wanted to start out," head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "I thought we got off to a great start. We took that lead and we're pretty good when we score first. I felt great about where we were and I thought Samantha (Clakley) was throwing very, very well at first. We kind of just fell apart there. We had a chance to score in the second inning and didn't score, and I think that may have hurt us just a bit. But from that point on, we just didn't pitch well enough.

"Too many runners on base, too many walks and too many free bags, whether they be hit by pitches or a crucial error in the fourth that cost us. This time of year, you just can't play unclean and expect to win."

Vanessa Shippy was again Oklahoma State's anchor in the first-inning rally, as she took first base after getting plunked on the first pitch she saw. She quickly moved to third base on a Taylor Lynch base knock through the right side, and then darted home on a chopper by Madi Sue Montgomery that was misplayed by the Shockers' Kaylee Huecker at second base.

Shippy, the 2018 Big 12 Player of the Year, starred at the plate throughout, finishing 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored.

Her double came in the home half of the second inning, as she lined a ball to right field and then never looked back, taking second base on a soft throw back into the infield. Shippy's double was the 57th of her illustrious career, giving her sole possession of the OSU and Big 12 career records. It broke a three-way tie with OSU's Jaime Foutch and Oklahoma's Lisa Carey at the top of the respective record books.

Shippy also recorded a single with a liner into center field in the fourth inning, further raising her already-incredible batting average and on-base percentage to .463 and .610, respectively. Both of those marks place her among the top-five players nationally, and she also ranks among the nation's elite in walks and runs scored.

Chelsea Alexander capped the Cowgirls' early offensive spurt with a two-out single into right field that scored Taylor Lynch from third base. The freshman finished 1-for-3 with an RBI at the plate in her NCAA Tournament debut.

In the circle, Samantha Clakley pitched two shutout innings before getting roughed up in the third inning. She gave up four runs in that third frame and was replaced by Logan Simunek. Clakley took the loss Friday, falling to 16-9 on the year.

Emmie Robertson also made a brief appearance, posting a three-up, three-down frame in the top of the seventh.

Oklahoma State will now play the rest of this weekend's NCAA Fayetteville Regional on the brink of elimination. Their first win-or-go-home contest will take place tomorrow against DePaul at 4 p.m. CT. If the Cowgirls come out on top in that one, they'll face the loser of the Arkansas-Wichita State matchup immediately after at 6:30 p.m. CT.