Cowgirls sweep Oregon for fourth-straight WCWS trip
The Oklahoma State Cowgirls will be making their fourth-consecutive trip to the NCAA Women’s College World Series following a sweep of the Oregon Ducks in the Stillwater Super Regionals.
The ninth-ranked Cowgirls took the first game of the Best-of-3 series with Oregon last Thursday by an 8-1 margin, then became the first team to punch their ticket to the WCWS last Friday with a 9-0 victory in Game 2.
The Oklahoma State squad will be matched up against third-ranked Florida State this Thursday in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Women’s College World Series at USA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City after the Seminoles swept their Tallahassee Super Regional with 12th-ranked Georgia by margins of 8-1 and 4-2, respectively.
The Cowgirls will begin their WCWS action Thursday at 6 p.m. against the third-ranked Seminoles with the winner advancing to Saturday’s winner’s bracket game at 6 p.m., while the loser will play an elimination game Friday at 8:30 p.m.
The other two teams in OSU’s 4-team bracket at the WCWS will be fifth-ranked Washington and 14th-ranked Utah.
The four teams in Bracket 1 at the WCWS will be top-ranked and 2-time defending national champion Oklahoma, fourth-ranked Tennessee, sixthranked Stanford, and 11th-ranked Alabama.
In last Thursday’s opening win, the lone Oregon run came in the top of the second, giving the Ducks an early 1-0 advantage.
The Cowgirls plated three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take over the lead at 3-1 after four innings of action. Senior shortstop Kiley Naomi began the Oklahoma State scoring in the fourth with a solo home run to left.
The Cowgirls increased their lead to 7-1 with three runs in the last of the fifth, courtesy of a 2-out, 3-run home run by Morgyn Wynne.
The final OSU run in the contest came in the bottom of the sixth on a 2-out RBI single by Cheyenne Factor.
Lexi Kilfoyl went the distance in the circle to earn her 15th pitching win of the season.
In Friday’s shutout win, an RBI single by Naomi with two outs in the top of the first opened the Cowgirl scoring.
The narrow 1-0 lead remained until the top of the fifth when Oklahoma State erupted for six runs in the inning to extend its lead to 7-0. The big hit of the 6-run inning came on Naomi’s second home run of the Super Regional – a 2-out, 3-run blast to left.
The Cowgirls tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh and secured their fourthstraight WCWS trip with a flyout to Factor in center field.
Senior ace Kelly Maxwell worked all seven innings in the circle for her 16th pitching win of the season.
Editor’s Note: Lexi McDonald, daughter of former Dewar softball coaches Mike and Kate McDonald, entered as a pinch hitter for the Cowgirls in the seventh inning on Friday.
