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OSU Softball: Cowgirls Drop Series Opener to Iowa State in Extras

Once again, the Cowgirls’ offense comes up short.

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1 year ago

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[Devin Wilber/PFB]

BOX SCORE

STILLWATER — With 14 games still to play in the regular season, the Cowgirls have lost more games this season than they did all of last year.

Oklahoma State fell to Iowa State 5-4 in eight innings on Friday afternoon at Cowgirl Stadium. It’s OSU’s fourth straight loss.

OSU’s bats struggled again Friday. In the Cowgirls’ past 15 games they’ve scored less than five runs 11 times. Kenny Gajewksi challenged his offense after the Cowgirls’ loss to Oklahoma in the midweek. Not one to mince words, Gajewski was again not thrilled with OSU’s offensive output.

“As frustrated as I’ve been here in my time here,” Gajewski said. “This team, I don’t know if I put too much on them early on in telling them that I feel like they can be the best team that we’ve ever had. Right now we’re nowhere close to that. We’re playing like one of the worst teams that we’ve ever had. It’s frustrating.

“I don’t question their work ethic because they do work, but man there’s something that this team has just gotta figure out a way to fight. We’re not doing it. We’re not doing a very good job of coaching them, obviously. It’s on us. It’s not their fault. It’s my fault I’m letting them down. I’ll figure that out, but man, it’s frustrating. It’s frustrating to watch kids underperform, and again, that’s gotta be a coaching team. So, I’ll put that on me.”

Despite the Cowgirls’ poor run of form, a stiff breeze prevented them from leaving Friday’s game as walk-off winners.

OSU rallied in the bottom of the seventh. With the Cowgirls down 4-2 with a runner on first, Tallen Edwards hit a ball to the gap in right-center. The two Iowa State outfielders both tried to make a play on the ball and collided with each other. The play ended with OSU runners on second and third.

Tia Warsop grounded out, making OSU down to its final out. Rosie Davis then looped a pop fly into shallow left-center field that landed between three Cyclones, scoring the pair and tying the game.

That brought up Micaela Wark for a chance to walk it off, and she clobbered the first pitch she saw. Off the bat, the ball looked destined for McElroy Road past the left-field wall, but the wind was blowing in and stopped the ball at the warning track. It was caught, forcing extras.

Iowa State plated a run in the top of the eighth, and OSU couldn’t answer.

Ruby Meylan threw all eight innings for the Cowgirls. Despite the loss, the set a career-high in strikeouts with 14. In eight innings of work, she gave up the five runs off eight hits while walking three.

OSU actually outhit the Cyclones, as the Cowgirls had nine. But OSU stranded seven runners, a tally that included a little Deja vu from Wednesday. In that game against the Sooners, OSU had the bases loaded with no outs in the fourth inning but were unable to score a run in the frame. In the third inning Friday, OSU had the bases loaded and again left them that way.

“Because our offense is so pathetic, we’re asking (Meylan) to not give up runs,” Gajewski said. “That’s a bad recipe to win games.”

Before tying things in the seventh, the Cowgirls other two runs came off solo shots. Davis hit the first of those in the first inning, hitting the ball to the bleachers beyond the right-field fence.

Megan Bloodworth almost hit the same spot in the fifth.

If there is a bright spot in the Cowgirls’ offense right now, it’s Davis. The sophomore second baseman is on a seven-game hitting streak. That stretch has seen her hit three of her seven home runs this season.

The loss puts the Cowgirls at 23-13 this season (after finishing 2024 49-12). OSU is 5-6 in Big 12 play.

Game 2 of OSU’s series against the Cyclones is scheduled for noon Saturday at Cowgirl Stadium.

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