Cowgirls Split Doubleheader at Texas

Friday, April 20

Austin, TX

4:30 P.M. CT

Oklahoma State University

32-14, 10-3

Texas

27-16, 10-1

Oklahoma State

Texas

Photo by: OSU Athletics

April 20, 2018 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

PDF Box Score - Game One
PDF Box Score - Game Two
Updated Overall Stats

AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 24/19 Oklahoma State softball team displayed its grit on Friday, bouncing back from a 3-0 loss to split a doubleheader against Texas with a 3-1 victory in the nightcap at McCombs Field.

OSU's victory over the rival Longhorns snapped a six-game losing streak for the Cowgirls (34-13; 11-3 Big 12) in Austin.

"It was a good day and we got off to a rough start, but credit their kid. I thought she was really good and as good as anybody that we've faced," head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "We'll have to figure out how to make some adjustments because I'm sure we'll see her again. The one thing I loved is that we fought. We really fought and came back in the second game. Emmie (Robertson) was good and we had some nice plays and clutch hits. That's what good teams do. They figure out how to scrap out games against good teams and road games. I'm just very happy to get a split and now we can go for the series win."

Whitney Whitehorn was the offensive spark for the Pokes in game two, going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI singles in Friday's nightcap. Both of Whitehorn's run-producing hits scored Taylor Lynch, who also recorded two hits against the Longhorns.

Their big nights at the plate helped OSU take a 2-1 lead on their conference rivals after three innings.

Gajewski's squad held onto its slim lead over the next four innings, getting a gritty performance from starter Emmie Robertson in the process. Robertson finished off the Longhorns, improving to 11-4 on the year with a complete-game, one-run performance in the circle.

Vanessa Shippy helped provide Robertson with an insurance run in the top of the seventh, as she laced a one-out triple down the right-field line. Shippy would later score on a bloop single from Taylor Lynch that barely cleared the infield dirt.

Thanks to her clutch triple and a pair of walks in Friday's opener, Shippy has now reached base safely at least once in Oklahoma State's last 40 games. That is the longest streak of her career.

In Friday's opening contest, the Cowgirls lost in spite of a solid performance from Samantha Clakley in the circle.

Clakley kept UT batters off balance all game long with her devastating changeup. She struck out a season-high seven Longhorns in six innings of work, but Texas was able to squeeze three runs off the right-hander.

"I thought Sam, except for two pitches, was really good," Gajewski said of his first starting pitcher on Friday. "But you know when you make a bad pitch or you don't hit your spot, these teams in this conference will punish you and that' happened. I look for her to bounce back and I think she'll pitch well."

Behind Clakley, another first-year Cowgirl - freshman Sydney Pennington - found success against UT, racking up two hits in three trips to the plate. It was Pennington's 13th multi-hit game of the season thus far.

Oklahoma State will look to win its fifth-straight Big 12 series on Sunday in the finale. First pitch on the Longhorn Network is set for 11 a.m.