Cowgirls Hand Sooners First Big 12 Loss, Take Game 1 of Bedlam 6-4

Down goes No. 1.

No. 9 Oklahoma State defeated No. 1 Oklahoma 6-4 in Stillwater on Friday night, handing the Sooners their first Big 12 loss this season and moving the Cowgirls one win away from a Big 12 championship. It’s OSU’s first Bedlam win under head coach Kenny Gajewski and the Cowgirls’ first in the series since 2011.

The Sooners struck first when Jayda Coleman nailed a two-run home run over the left field wall. But Reagan Wright answered with this single home run in the bottom of the second.

Full count. Two outs. Ice in her veins.

After two more Sooner runs in the top of the third, Chyenne Factor added her own two-run moon shot to pull the Pokes within one.

Later in the third, OSU’s home run leader Hayley Busby did what she does best and added her own two-run homer to give the Cowgirls a 5-4 lead.

The Cowgirls’ bats weren’t finished. Kiley Naomi sent one over the wall on OSU’s first at bat in the fifth inning to push the lead to 6-4. It was her eighth homer of the season.

No lead is safe against the Sooners, who lead the nation in home runs by a significant margin, but OSU was able to make every play needed on defense.

All-American Carrie Eberle pitched all seven innings against the defending Big 12 champs, striking out one and walking four while allowing four runs and two home runs.

Eberle came in with 120 strikeouts on the year. She only struck out one batter on the night, but it was a big one. Nursing that two-run lead in the top of the seventh, Eberle struck out lethal hitter Tiare Jennings swinging.

This was against a team fresh of its 30th (!) run-rule victory of the season. The Sooners were 40-1 coming in and had not lost a Big 12 game. Now they have and Eberle is 19-1 as a starter.

The Cowgirls were able seal the deal with a ground out off of a hit by Grace Lyons.

Kenny Gajewski came into Friday 0-14 in his career against his alma mater, and his team came in having won a school-record 14-straight conference games. One of those streaks had to end and, fortunately for OSU, it was the former.

Game 2 of the series takes place on Saturday at 3 p.m., and Game 3 is Sunday at 11 a.m. Win just one of those two and the Cowgirls earn their first Big 12 regular season championship.