Cowgirl Softball Runs Winning Streak to 11

Tuesday, March 13

Stillwater, OK

6 P.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

20-6

Illinois State

9-17

Illinois State

Oklahoma State

Photo by: OSU Athletics

March 13, 2018 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score

STILLWATER – The No. 24 Oklahoma State softball team extended its winning streak to 11 on Sunday, as the Cowgirls bested Illinois State, 9-1, at Cowgirl Stadium.

The 11-game winning streak is the longest for the Cowgirls since a 12-game run in March 2013. Tuesday's win also marked the fastest that OSU (20-6) has reached 20 wins since doing 2011 when the Pokes reached the mark in 25 games.

"Our team has gotten a lot of attention to start the year and our kids are getting more and more," head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "They do that. It's not me. They're learning how to handle that and they're learning how to have a little bit of a bullseye on their backs. I don't think it's a big one like a Florida or an Oklahoma has at this point, but that's what we want. We're finally at a point where nobody walks in here - they walk in here now with the thought that they have a chance to knock off a top-25 team.

"It hasn't been that way here for a while. It's what it was here and that's what made this job so attractive to me. This is what I expected when I came here because I thought that this is what we could do here."

Vanessa Shippy led the way at the top of the OSU lineup, as she singled back up the middle to start the Cowgirls' day at the plate. Shippy has now reached base to open the game in nine on Oklahoma State's last 11 contests, walking on six of those occasions.

Shippy came around to score her NCAA-leading 38th run of the year two batters later when Madi Sue Montgomery laced a double down the right-field line. Mongtomery's first-inning hit brought her RBI total for the year to 26 and extended her hitting streak to 11 games.

In the home half of the second, Oklahoma State busted the game open with five runs on five hits. The Cowgirls, nursing a 7-0 lead after two, added one more to their tally in the third when Vanessa Shippy doubled a 3-1 pitch over the center fielder's head, scoring Maddi Holcomb from first base.

Shippy later grounded out to third in the fifth inning, ending her impressive streak of consecutive plate appearances reaching base at 16.

"When she's not on base, I'm shocked," Gajewski said. "It's an amazing feat and that's what and who she has been. I'm not shocked and she continues to amaze me. When you look at kids and their careers, the goal is to get better each year. And from what she has already done, that's really hard. Her numbers are really high and with all of the awards and accolades that she has, it's really hard to top that. And she's not only topping that, but she's blowing through what she has already done."

In the circle, Logan Simunek produced yet another excellent outing. She allowed just one run, struck out three and did not walk a batter en route to improving her record to 5-0 on the year. The sophomore currently holds a 0.41 earned run average in 34.1 innings pitched this season.

OSU will return to action for the second half of a midweek pair tomorrow when the Cowgirls head to Conway, Arkansas, for a clash with Central Arkansas. First pitch is currently set for 5 p.m.