Cowgirls Bow Out of WCWS With Loss to Cal
Oklahoma State’s softball team ended its historic 2011 season Saturday at Hall of Fame Stadium as the Cowgirls were eliminated from their seventh Women’s College World Series with a 6-2 loss to California.
Recording its second-consecutive 40-win season and 35th-straight 20-win season, wraps up the year at 42-20. Cal improves to 45-12 with the win.
threatened immediately in the game as Mariah Gearhart was hit by a pitch to open the first inning and Ari Morrison and Alysia Hamilton advanced her to third base. Cal ended the opportunity, however, as Julie Ward grounded out to shortstop for the third out.
Cal opened the scoring in the second inning as Lindsey Ziegenhirt scored from second on a two-out single up the middle from Victoria Jones. OSU’s Kat Espinosa put a quick end to the rally as she struck out the next batter, Jordan Wallace.
The Cowgirls answered in the fourth. With one out and nobody on, five consecutive singles from Hamilton, Ward, Chelsea Garcia, Tamara Brown and Ashley Boyd scored two runs to put the Cowgirls on top. Cal eventually got out of the inning as Sammy Jo Diffendaffer and Tarah Ettinger fouled out down the third and first base lines, respectively.
The Bears loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but Espinosa again ended the rally with a strikeout, this time sitting down Elia Reid on three pitches.
In the bottom of the fifth, Cal pushed its way back in front for good behind a four-run, two-out rally. With the bases loaded and two gone, Ashley Decker sent a fly ball down the right field line just inches past the outstretched glove of a diving Diffendaffer to score all three runners and record a triple. Decker then scored on an error to make the score, 5-2, and put the game out of reach.
Cal added another run when Reid led off the sixth inning with a solo shot to left field to make the final 6-2.
Oklahoma State wraps up its first Women’s College World Series since 1998. The Cowgirls, along with Texas A&M, lead the Big 12 with seven all-time appearances. OSU’s best finish in the event is third place, occurring in 1989, 1990, 1993 and 1994. It’s overall record at the moves to 11-14 with the loss.
Updated 06-06-2011
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