Cowgirls Run Past North Texas, 9-5

Wednesday, March 23

Stillwater, Okla.

5:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

27-6

North Texas

13-15

North Texas

Oklahoma State

Julie Ward hit her OSU-record 29th career home run, giving OSU a 6-5 lead.

March 23, 2011 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score

March 23, 2011

Final Stats

Stillwater, Okla. -- Julie Ward hit her ninth home run of the season, a two-run bomb that put Oklahoma State ahead for good, and freshman Simone Freeman threw two innings of hitless ball to earn her first save of the year as the 18th-ranked Cowgirl softball team defeated North Texas 9-5 here Wednesday evening at the Cowgirl Softball Complex.

The Cowgirls looked like they were going to dominate the Mean Green in the first inning as OSU scored four runs in the bottom of the frame before North Texas could record an out. Oklahoma State scored four runs on three hits, two UNT errors and a passed ball.

A leadoff home run by Mariza Martinez to lead off the top of the second inning for North Texas seemed harmless at the time, as did a solo shot by Lisa Johnson with one out in the fourth. However, with two runners on and one out in the top of the fifth, Renae Bromley hit a homer that cleared the leftfield fence, giving the Mean Green a 5-4 lead.

Senior Alysia Hamilton led off the bottom of the fifth with a double, and Ward followed with her home run that hit the light pole in right-centerfield, her school-record 29th career round-tripper.

Shortstop Chelsea Garcia, who went 2-for-4 on the day with four runs batted in, hit a bases-loaded double to centerfield in the sixth to give OSU a comfortable 9-5 lead.

Freeman came on in relief of starter Kat Espinosa in the sixth and, after issuing a walk to Johnson to lead off the inning, sat down six-straight batters.

Cowgirl leadoff hitter Mariah Gearhart went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and stole her 25th base of the season. Hamilton and Ward both went 1-for-2 with three runs scored.

Oklahoma State (27-6) will open Big 12 Conference action this weekend as the Cowgirls travel to Ames, Iowa, to face the Iowa State Cyclones (14-8). First pitch is slated for 2 pm on Saturday and noon on Sunday.