Late Baylor Rally Downs Cowgirls in Waco

Saturday, March 23

Waco, TX

1 P.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

22-9, 0

Baylor

14-13, 0

Oklahoma State

Baylor

Photo by: OSU Athletics

March 23, 2019 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score

WACO, Texas – The No. 21 Oklahoma State softball team dropped a 2-1 matchup against Baylor Saturday at Getterman Stadium after the Cowgirls surrendered two runs with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning.

"It was a tough day today, but we actually swung the bat decently," coach Kenny Gajewski said. "We hit a lot of balls hard, but just right at them. We've got to figure out ways to score runs when that's going down. I thought we pitched OK except for the eight free passes. I don't care who you're gonna play - in conference play, if you give a team that many chances, they're going to take advantage of it at some point in time."

OSU (22-9; 1-1 Big 12) got off to a hot start Saturday, scoring its only run in the first inning on the back of Chyenne Factor's two-out double off the top of the wall in left center. Factor's two-out double scored Madi Sue Montgomery, who recorded an infield single just before the freshman's at-bat.

The Cowgirls mustered only one hit off Baylor's Sidney Holman over the final six innings though, as the Lady Bears kept the pinstripe-clad Pokes in check one day after their 21-run outburst in Waco. Rylee Bayless supplied that final hit, singling the sixth pitch of her at-bat down the left-field line in the top of the third inning.

Samantha Clakley handled the majority of the load in the circle, as she made her eighth start of the season Saturday.

Clakley, while not her sharpest, battled throughout the day, posting 5.1 shutout innings of work despite a plethora of Lady Bears finding their way onto the basepaths. The wheels fell off in the bottom of the sixth for her though, as Clakley issued back-to-back one-out walks, ending her day in the circle.

Logan Simunek relieved her, and Baylor was able to scrape both of its runs off the right-handed junior. Both earned runs were tacked onto Clakley's total, as she finished with 5.1-plus innings pitched, two earned runs allowed to go along with six walks and four strikeouts.

The two-run sixth was enough to give Baylor its first lead of the day, and the series, and ultimately sealed the Lady Bears' win after Holman put the Pokes down in order in the top of the seventh.

"Tomorrow is a big day and we've got to take this series," Gajewski said. "It won't be easy. They're a proud program. I knew this day was going to be tough. Baylor came out and matched us, so credit them. We've got to figure out a way to beat them tomorrow."

OSU will now have to win a nationally-televised contest Sunday afternoon to claim victory in the three-game series. The Cowgirls won five of their six Big 12 series a season ago, falling only to Bedlam rival Oklahoma.

First pitch for Sunday's finale at Getterman Stadium is set for 3 p.m. CT. The high-stakes matchup will air on ESPN2 with Mark Neely and Amanda Scarborough on the call.

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Oklahoma State is proud to celebrate more than 40 years of rich softball tradition and its 20th season of play at Cowgirl Stadium this year. To purchase your tickets for the 2019 campaign, visit okstate.com/tickets or call the OSU ticket office at 877-ALL-4-OSU.