Friday Softball Roundup: Sooners Win, Cowgirls Fall

Sooners Hold On Against No. 12 Baylor

WACO, Texas – In a pivotal series between two of the top three teams in the Big 12, No. 13 Oklahoma (31-8, 8-0) struck first with a 3-2 win Friday night at No. 12 Baylor (29-8, 3-2).

Entering the game, OU sat in first place in the Big 12 at 7-0, while Baylor was tied for second with Texas at 3-1. But with the win, OU moved to 8-0 in conference play for just the third time in history. Only 9-0 starts in 2000 and 2002 have been better for the Sooners.

Oklahoma's winning streak was pushed to 13 games, tying for the 10th longest in program history. It's the longest for the team since it ended the 2013 season on a 13-game run, culminating with the second national championship in program history. During the current win streak, Oklahoma has outscored teams, 90-11.

Trailing 1-0, sophomore Leslie Miller hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning. It was her third of the season and fourth of her career.

Junior Georgia Casey added an RBI triple later in the frame to drive home what turned out to be the game-winning run.

Sophomore Kelsey Stevens got the win to improve to 22-5 on the season. She struck out six and allowed two runs on five hits and three walks.

Game two of the series is Saturday at 4 p.m. The game can be seen nationwide on ESPN.

Cowgirls Fall to Texas Tech, 6-5

LUBBOCK, TEXAS – The Oklahoma State softball team dropped a 6-5 heartbreaker to Texas Tech in the first game of the three-game series Friday night at Rocky Johnson Stadium.

The Cowgirls wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the first. Shelby Davis walked to lead off the inning, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Ari Morrison fouled out to leftfield, but Davis tagged up and scored easily on the sacrifice fly. Later in the inning, Tiffany Mikkelson hit a two-run shot to rightfield, giving OSU an early 3-0 lead.

The Red Raiders (29-14, 2-5 Big 12) were held scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning when Gretchen Aucoin hit a home run to centerfield. Later in the inning, Sydnie Tapia hit a sacrifice fly to leftfield, scoring Brittany Lee from third to cut the OSU lead to 3-2.

OSU added a run in the top of the sixth when Gessenia DeLaCruz hit her fourth home run of the season to rightfield to extend the OSU lead to 4-2. Oklahoma State added one more in the top of the seventh inning when Davis scored on a sacrifice fly by Simone Freeman to make it 5-2 Cowgirls.

However, Texas Tech would not give up and rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring four runs and winning the game on a sacrifice fly by Kristi Belshe.

Freeman started in the circle for OSU and pitched six innings, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out two. Whitney Whitehorn (4-6) entered the game with two on and no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and allowed two runs on three hits.

At the plate, the Cowgirls had 10 hits. Mikkelson went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs batted in and a run scored. DeLaCruz and Madison Ellis both went 2-for-3 at the plate. Morrison and Freeman each had a hit and an RBI for the Cowgirls. Davis' base hit in the top of the seventh inning extended her hitting streak to 14 games.

The Cowgirls (22-17, 2-6) return to action tomorrow for game two of the three-game series against Texas Tech. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.