COLUMBIA, Mo.-- After battling through 10 innings, the Oklahoma State softball team lost 1-0 to the No. 10 Missouri Tigers on Sunday afternoon. Senior Julie Ward picked up two hits in the game.
In the bottom of the 10th, Mackenzie Sykes hit a double of the right center field wall. She scored on a hit to center field by Jenna Marston to win the game. Chelsea Thomas threw the complete game shutout for Missouri (43-12, 17-7) and allowed five hits, struck out 13 and walked two.
During the first four innings, there were only three hits in the game. In the second inning, Julie Ward hit the ball into left field and Missouri's Kelsea Roth hit the ball through the left side. Roth picked up another hit in the same place in the fourth inning.
The Cowgirls (25-26, 8-16) had a scoring opportunity in the fifth as senior Chelsea Garcia led off with a single up the middle. The was sacrificed over to second by Gessenia DeLaCruz. Senior Sammy Jo Diffendaffer pinch hit and got a hit to advance Garcia to third. Sam Chrisman pinch hit next and hit the ball to the pitcher who threw out Garcia before she could score.
Sophomore Simone Freeman started for the Cowgirls and threw the first three innings. After walking Nicole Hudson to start off the fourth, Junior Kat Espinosa came in to throw for Freeman who had given up just one hit, walked four and struck out three.
Oklahoma State had another chance at scoring in the seventh when Ward led off with a double to the left field wall. Kelsea Schultz came in to run for Ward and advanced to third on a sacrifice by Garcia. She was thrown out trying to steal home.
Espinosa finished the game and allowed five hits, walked one and struck out three. She picked up the loss and is 15-13 on the season.
