OSU Softball: Cowgirls Snap Losing Streak

The Oklahoma State softball team saw its seven-game losing streak come to an end on Wednesday, as the Cowgirls swept North Texas in a doubleheader at Cowgirl Stadium.

After opening the night with a 3-0 victory, OSU (21-28, 3-10) held off a feisty North Texas squad in the nightcap, earning a 6-4 win after a late comeback from the Mean Green.

“That was a great pair of wins for us tonight, especially going into a big series this weekend,” head coach Rich Wieligman said. “We had some clutch hits and good pitching, and you could tell that the girls were having fun out there.”

The Cowgirls' first triumph of the night was highlighted by a complete-game shutout from freshman pitcher Jessi Haffner, who earned the victory after three late runs from the OSU offense. Haffner worked her way out of several jams over the course of the contest, including two separate based-loaded situations.

A lead-off base-hit from Kat Strunk and a double from Taylor Schoblocher helped North Texas to a hot start in the first, as the Mean Green duo reached second and third with no outs. After a ground out and an infield single, the Cowgirls would escape the jam thanks to an 8-4 double play from Shelby Davis, who doubled off Schoblocher at second after making a shoestring grab in shallow center.

Haffner fought back and retired six of the next seven batters, but found herself in another tough spot after allowing back-to-back singles in the top of the fourth. However, with a 3-2 count and the bases full, Haffner forced a ground out to third to keep North Texas off the board.

The Cowgirl offense finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth, beginning with some timely hitting from freshman Vanessa Shippy. With two outs, Shippy lined an RBI single to left to score Maddi Holcomb and give Oklahoma State a 1-0 lead.

Another OSU freshman would come up big in the following frame, as Randee O'Donnell blasted a two-run homer to extend the Cowgirls' advantage to 3-0. The scrappy Mean Green sent the heart of its lineup to the plate in the seventh, but Haffner delivered a perfect 1-2-3 inning to seal the victory.

The second half of the doubleheader began in similar fashion, as the two teams remained scoreless through the first three innings. Brandi Needham earned the start in the circle, but Haffner continued to contribute to the sweep with one-out double in the bottom of the fourth. After a single from O'Donnell, Holcomb lined a two-run triple to the right and scored on a wild pitch, giving the Cowgirls a 3-0 lead after four.

North Texas narrowed its deficit to one in the sixth, thanks to a solo shot from Strunk and two-out single off the bat of Mallory Land. However, the young OSU offense provided more clutch hitting in the bottom of the frame, as Shippy and Tiffany Mikkelson each provided two-run base-hits to tack to extend the Cowgirl advantage to 6-2.

Needham was fantastic in the circle throughout a majority of the offense, keeping the Mean Green attack hitless into the fourth. With 134 pitches in the books, though, Needham was eventually pulled in the top of the seventh. Danielle Hoff delivered a two-out double to bring North Texas within two, and left the Cowgirls tasked with a based-loaded situation with two outs.

The fate of the contest rested in the hands of Peyton Walker, who came on in relief to face Schoblocher. Oklahoma State would prevail, as Walker forced a fly out to center to clinch the win.

OSU's offense was resilient in both games, as the Cowgirls outhit the Mean Green, 20-16. Davis (2-3, 2-3), Shippy (2-3, 2-3) and Danielle Riddle (2-3, 1-4) led the Oklahoma State attack, which helped the home side earn its first set of back-to-back victories since April 10 and 11, when the Cowgirls took two straight against Iowa State.

With the pair of victories, OSU moves to 21-28 on the season heading into this weekend's three-game set against Texas. The series will begin on Friday, with Oklahoma State hosting a 7 p.m. battle at Cowgirl Stadium.