Cowgirl Softball Wins Pair At UTSA Classic

The Oklahoma State softball team won its first two games at the UTSA Classic on Friday evening. The Cowgirls defeated Colorado State 6-3 in the first game, and then beat UTSA, 5-3.

In the first game, the Cowgirls got on the board in the bottom of the second inning when junior Gessenia DeLaCruz crushed a grand slam over the center field wall to put OSU up 4-0. They added on another run in the bottom of the third inning when senior Tarah Ettinger scored on a single by freshman Madison Ellis and an error by the second baseman. The Cowgirls scored their final run when sophomore Tiffany Mikkelson scored to make it 6-0.

Colorado State (5-2) scored two runs in the top of the sixth when Ashllie Ortega and Chelsea O'Connor scored on a base hit by Jaelyn Manzanares. They added on one more in the top of the seventh on a base hit by O'Connor. That was all the offense the Rams would get and OSU would win by the final of 6-3.

Offensively, the Cowgirls had 10 hits. Junior Shelby Davis was 3-for-4 and Ettinger was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Seniors Ari Morrison and Shannon Kaufman, sophomore Shianne Hughes, DeLaCruz and Ellis all had one hit. DeLaCruz had four runs batted in.

In the circle, senior Simone Freeman (3-2) started in the circle. In 6.1 innings, she allowed one run on three hits, struck out 10 and walked two. Freshman Peyton Walker pitched 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on one hit.

In the second game, the Cowgirls struck first in the top of the second when Hughes scored on a base hit by Davis to out OSU up 1-0.

UTSA (4-1) took the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Jolene Graham scored on a single by Randee Crawford. Then Jori Fox scored on a fielder's choice by Alexis Ramirez.

The Cowgirls rallied in the top of the sixth inning. The rally began with one out, when DeLaCruz hit her second home run of the day to center field. Kaufman scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3. The next batter, Ettinger singled in Davis to take the lead and the next batter, Mikkelson, grounded out to third, scoring Morrison.

UTSA would threatened in the bottom of the seventh, but the Cowgirls would hold on to hand the Roadrunner their first loss of the season.

At the plate, the Cowgirls had 11 hits. For the second straight game, Davis when 3-for-4 and an RBI. Ettinger, Mikkelson and DeLaCruz all had a hit and an RBI, while Morrison, Hughes, Freeman, Kaufman and freshman Whitney Whitehorn all had base hits.

In the circle, Whitehorn (1-1) pitched five innings, allowing three runs on five hits. She struck out four and walked three batters. Freeman took over in the bottom of the sixth inning and earned her first save of the season. She pitched two innings, allowing two hits and striking out four.

The Cowgirls (4-3) return to action Saturday when they take on Wichita State at 9 a.m. and Rutgers and 2 p.m.