OSU Softball: Cowgirls Drop Pitching Duel To Tulsa

The Oklahoma State softball team came up short in a low-scoring contest with Tulsa on Thursday, as the Cowgirls suffered a 2-1 defeat at Cowgirl Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.

OSU (19-24, 3-6) smelled victory after taking a 1-0 lead into the top of the seventh, but a pair of Tulsa runs in the final frame was just enough for the Golden Hurricane to walk away with a victory.

“We've had some great battles against Tulsa over the last few years, and tonight was another well-fought game,” head coach Rich Wieligman said. “Both pitchers were outstanding, but Tulsa had just enough to pull out the win.”

For the first four and a half innings, Oklahoma State starter Jessi Haffner and TU hurler Bailey Erwin went head-to-head in a scoreless battle. Both pitchers only surrendered two base-hits over the first half of the contest, leading to a thrilling finale between the two in-state rivals.

Haffner, a freshman from Wichita, Kan., was helped by an impenetrable OSU defense throughout a majority of the ballgame, as Tulsa was unable to put a runner past first base until the sixth inning. Erwin was equally as effective, though, and pitched out of multiple jams to keep the Golden Hurricane alive.

The scoreless tie was finally broken in the fifth, thanks to a clutch two-out base-hit from Maddi Holcomb. With Michaela Patton standing on second, the freshman blooped a single into shallow left, leading to a close play at the plate. However, leftfielder Jodi Edmiston's throw came in high, and Patton was able to slide in safely for to go-ahead score.

Tulsa provided an immediate response in the sixth, using a pair of singles to put two runners on with one out. Haffner was tasked with facing the heart of the TU lineup, but retired the next two batters to maintain the shutout.

The Golden Hurricane mustered up a rally again in the seventh, as Brittany Walker and Maddie Withee began the inning with back-to-back singles. Shelby Estocado moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt, putting Haffner in another jam in the deciding frame. This time, the visiting side would capitalize, as Kate Myers punched a soft grounder to first and brought Walker home for the tying score. In the next at-bat, Edmiston hit a high chopper to short, allowing Withee to score the eventual game-winning run.

Oklahoma State got off to a great start in the bottom of the seventh, as pinch hitter Darcy Taylor led off with a walk and moved to second on Haffner's sacrifice bunt. However, Erwin retired the next two Cowgirl batters to seal the comeback victory.

OSU will return to conference action this weekend with a three-game set against Texas Tech. The series will begin on Saturday with an 11 a.m. matchup at Cowgirl Stadium.