STILLWATER – The No. 3 Oklahoma State softball team swept the OSU/Tulsa Invitational with a closing 6-0 win over South Dakota State Sunday afternoon at Cowgirl Stadium.
With the win, OSU improved to 18-1 and South Dakota State fell to 12-8. On the weekend, the Cowgirls outscored their opponents 36-5 with two run-rule victories.
Alabama transfer Lexi Kilfoyl improved to 4-0 after 4.0 scoreless innings. Kelly Maxwell entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning pitched 3.0 innings, struck out seven of the 11 batters she faced and earned her first save of the season.
The Cowgirls plated one run in the first inning to immediately put them on top. Two walks opened the inning, with Rachel Becker and Kiley Naomi both reaching base safely. A Micaela Wark base hit scored Becker, marking the 13th time in 19 games that OSU has scored first.
After two scoreless innings from Kilfoyl, the Cowgirls loaded the bases in the third, but couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity. However, OSU notched another run in the next inning. Back-to-back singles from Becker and Tallen Edwards opened the fourth. Kiley Naomi’s sacrifice fly brought home Becke, which double the OSU lead through four innings.
OSU scored two runs in both the fifth and sixth inning. Heads up baserunning scored the Cowgirls their runs in the fifth, as an SDSU error scored Claire Timm. A dropped third strike brought home Angelina Craig, she sprinted home from third as the Jackrabbits scrambled to secure a wild pitch. RBI singles from Katelynn Carwile and Chyenne Factor in the sixth finished the scoring for the Cowgirls to extend their advantage, 6-0.
Today’s win extended OSU’s win streak to 16 games, which is the longest of the Gajewski era. During the stretch, the Cowgirls have outscored their opponents 143-30, posted seven shutouts and claimed nine victories via run rule.
Individually, Becker’s base hit today extended her hitting streak to 18 games, which ranks second for the longest in program history; she’s tallied at least one hit in every game dating back to Feb. 11 versus North Carolina.
The Cowgirls are back in action next Friday at 6 p.m. for a top-five showdown with Florida State in Stillwater at Cowgirl Stadium.
For season-long coverage of Oklahoma State Softball, visit okstate.com and follow @CowgirlSB on Twitter and @osusoftball on Instagram.
