Clakley’s Gem Pushes Cowgirls Past North Texas

Wednesday, April 24

Stillwater, OK

6 p.m. CT

Oklahoma State University

34-11

North Texas

29-16

North Texas

Oklahoma State

April 24, 2019 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score

PHOTOS

STILLWATER – The No. 12 Oklahoma State softball team pushed its winning streak to eight with a 6-0 shutout victory over North Texas Wednesday night at Cowgirl Stadium.

OSU (34-11; 10-2 Big 12) has shutout its opponents on 12 occasions so far this season, the most by a Cowgirl squad since the 2011 team held its opponents scoreless 12 times.

"It was a good midweek game against a solid and well-coached team," coach Kenny Gajewski said. "I was excited about the way we got it going there offensively in the fourth inning. I was a little concerned about the way we were swinging early. (Samantha) Clakley was really good and on her game, and it felt like she was in complete control. If we had left her in there, it would have been interesting to see if she could have finished (the no-hitter) out."

Samantha Clakley's effort in the circle was the primary factor in the Cowgirls' shutout success Wednesday night, as the right-hander tossed five inning of no-hit softball in the circle. The only thing that ended her chance at OSU's second no-hitter of the Gajewski era was the team's need to get live action for the entire pitching staff after a week away from competition.

Clakley picked up the win and improved her record to 9-3 this season. Her ERA now sits at a team-best 1.74, and she has allowed only three earned runs in her last 28 innings pitched, dating back to her six-out save at Wichita State on March 27.

Offensively, Madi Sue Montgomery got the Cowgirls going with a pair of doubles in her first two at-bats. The senior is now just two shy of becoming the third player in school history to record at least 50 career doubles.

Montgomery's 2-for-4 outing against UNT marked her fourth-straight multi-hit showing, which is the longest such stretch in her career. She previously logged multiple hits in three consecutive games during the OSU Hall of Fame Classic last season.

Wednesday's showing also brought Montgomery's total to 10 hits in her last four games, which is the most productive four-game stretch of the Cowgirl's career.

Oklahoma State also got offensive production from the middle of its order, as Michaela Richbourg, Taylor Lynch and Chyenne Factor all drove in a run against the Mean Green. Sydney Pennington, meanwhile, was the only Cowgirl to log multiple RBI Wednesday night, as she roped a two-run single into left field in the bottom of the fifth.

Pennington has driven in 32 runs so far this season to tie with her fellow sophomore, Richbourg, for the third-best mark among the squad in 2019. Only Samantha Show and Montgomery have driven in more runs this season for OSU.

Show and Logan Simunek pitched the final two frames of Wednesday's content, with the latter relieving Clakley in the sixth and the former polishing off the shutout in the seventh. The combined to face just one over the minimum in those two innings and needed only 25 pitches to slam the door shut on North Texas.

The Cowgirls will now shift focus back toward their Big 12 title hunt, as they host No. 13 Texas Tech in a massive three-game series at Cowgirl Stadium this weekend. First pitch of the weekend set is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday night on Fox Sports Oklahoma.

----

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.