Cowgirls Sounded the Horn 3 Times En Route to Victory
The Oklahoma State Cowgirls won the ALL IMPORTANT winners bracket game today against the Stanford Cardinal, a team that had beaten them twice early in the season. Ruby Meylan didn’t necessarily have her BEST stuff, but, to show how awesome she is, she still found a way to blank Stanford long enough to let the offense take control of the game.
And, take control of the game is what they did with a 3 home runs, one solo from Rosie Davis to get the scoring started, then a pair of 3 run bombs, one each by Karlo Godwin and Tia Warsop, to put the game to bed. When the dust settled, the Cowgirls won the game 7-2.
OSU is now one win away from a trip to the Super Regionals, which would almost certainly be in Lincoln, as Nebraska took down Grand Canyon today, and they too have to be beaten twice tomorrow. Anything can happen, but THAT would be a HUGE upset.
Rosie Davis Gets the Party Started
Rosie Davis got the Cowgirls on the board in the 2nd inning when she blasted her 14th home run of the season WAY over the left-center field wall to give OSU a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning. Scoring first is always a big deal because the team that scores first wins more than 70% of the time, and that importance is heightened in big games, like today was.
Stanford threatened in the 1st when Taryn Kern led the game off with a base hit, then made it to 2nd base with two outs on a fielder’s choice ground by Ava Gall. Ruby Meylan then got Jade Berry to pop up, then retired 16 of the next 17 hitters she faced. The lone blemish came on a walk to Emily Jones to lead off the 4th inning. After she issued that walk, she got a pop-up, a fly out by Jade Berry, then a ground out to end that threat.
That dominance, that leadership, that DEFINES Ruby Meylan!
Karli Godwin Creates Separation
The Cowgirls created some much-needed separation in the 3rd inning on a 3-run bomb from Karli Godwin. Audrey Schneidmiller led the inning of getting hit by a pitch, Aubrey Jones beat out an infield single, then, after a mound visit, Karli Godwin made a memory.
Godwin crushed a three-run homer and gave the Cowgirls a 4–0 lead, and they never looked back.
Ruby Meylan was DOMINANT
While the offense delivered the fireworks, Meylan once again controlled the game from the circle.
The OSU ace pitched ANOTHER complete game, her 21st on the year, allowing just four hits and two earned runs while striking out three and walking only one. She needed just 95 pitches, and you can bet she’ll be available tomorrow and will give it her all as long as there is gas in her gas tank. She improved to 28–7, and she’s had to pitch with NO margin for error. If she had just won MOST of the games she’s pitched coming down the stretch, OSU would not be hosting,
Meylan kept Stanford off the base paths, and when you do that, they can’t put pressure on the defense. And when you make it a station-to-station game for them, they have a hard time functioning, as we saw today. Especially against someone as good as Meylan.
They did scratch in the 7th, however, when Jade Berry doubled, and Kyra Chan followed with a two-run home run to center field. But Meylan quickly regrouped, got the next two outs fairly routinely, and put the game to bed.
Gajewski praised Meylan’s poise afterward, noting how much confidence the entire roster gains from her consistency.
“Ruby competes with such calmness. Nothing speeds her up. When your pitcher carries herself like that, everybody behind her settles in too.”
Sixth Inning Puts Game Away
Stanford tried to stay within striking distance, but when you can’t score, that becomes very hard to do as the game goes on. Meylan gave the offense time to get the lead, and then add, and that’s what they did.
Lexi McDonald singled with one out in the 6th, Jayelle Austin followed that with a walk, Madison Hoffman flew out, then Tia Warsop sounded the horn to give the Cowgirls a 7-0 lead.
The home run was Warsop’s second of the season and put the game away.
Offense Timely & Explosive
The Cowgirls finished with just six hits, but when three of them are home runs, and two of them are 3 runners, and then you have Meylan in the circle, that’s a winning combination.
Davis finished 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI, and now has 15 homers on the year. Godwin went 1-for-3 with three RBIs and hit her ninth homer of the season. Warsop matched that RBI total with her three-run blast in the sixth.
Aubrey Jones reached base twice and scored a run, while McDonald and Amanda Hasler each added hits.
