Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Nicholls State
Cowgirl Softball Picks Up Two Wins in Houston
February 19, 2011 | Cowgirl Softball
Feb. 19, 2011
Final Stats vs Southern
Final Stats vs Nicholls
HOUSTON, Texas (OSU Athletics
The Cowgirls (7-2) run-ruled Southern 13-3 in six innings in the first game of the day. They started the game with four straight hits and scored two runs. In the third inning, Julie Ward scored on a single from Tarah Ettinger and Chelsea Garcia scored on a Jaguar error.
Gearhart and Ari Morrison led the fourth inning off with back-to-back bunt singles. Gearhart later scored on a sacrifice fly from Ward and Morrison scored on a single by Garcia.
Southern (1-7) got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run by Shawntall Steamer. She would hit another home run in the fifth to get all three run for the Jaguars.
OSU put up another four runs in the fifth off three doubles and a single. Three more runs came across the plate in the sixth, one from Alysia Hamilton getting walked with the bases loaded and the other two runs from a Southern error.
Freshman Morgan Hawkins got her first victory of the season after throwing four innings, giving up four hits for one run, striking out three and walking one. Sarah Odom and Simone Freeman each threw one inning in relief.
In the second game of the day, Oklahoma State and Nicholls State battled for 10 innings before the Cowgirls pulled ahead to win. NSU (3-4) scored first when the third batter of the game, Ashley Ray, hit a solo home run to left field.
OSU answered in the bottom of the first when Mariah Gearhart scored from third while Ari Morrison was caught in a run-down between second and third. Oklahoma State added two more in the third when Tamara Brown hit a single up the middle to score two. Tarah Ettinger hit Kelsey Schultz in during the fourth.
Nicholls State tied the game in the top of the fifth when Megan Gaspard hit a two-RBI single and Ashley Ray hit an RBI-single up the middle. Alysia Hamilton scored the go-ahead run for the Cowgirls in the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot to center field.
In the top of the seventh, Nicholls State tied the game up with a pinch-hit, RBI-single from Brittany Marcet. The Cowgirls failed to score in the bottom of the seventh and the game went into extra innings and the international tie-breaker was put into effect.
Neither team scored in the eighth or ninth innings. In the top of the 10th, NSU runner Lauren Jolivette was called safe on a play at the plate on a fielder's choice hit by Kat Angeles. NSU was up 6-5.
In the bottom of the 10th, base runner Julie Ward scored on a pinch-hit single to right field by Sammy Jo Diffendaffer. Amy Graham followed with a single placing Diffendaffer on second base. Junior Kelsey Anchors stepped up with a single up the middle and Diffendaffer scored to win the game for the Cowgirls.
Sophomore Kat Espinosa threw all 10 innings for Oklahoma State. She gave up six hits for five earned runs, struck out 12 and walked two.
OSU will finish the weekend against Nicholls State tomorrow morning at 11:00.
