Courtesy Nebraska Athletics
Rosie Davis hammered a leadoff home run to center field in the bottom of the 11th inning to propel No. 21 Oklahoma State softball to a 2-1 win over No. 9 Nebraska Thursday in Stillwater, Okla. The win was the Cowgirls’ sixth straight and snapped the Cornhuskers’ seven-game winning streak.
The game was a tight pitchers duel between All-Americans (and Omaha-area natives) Jordy Frahm of Nebraska (11-5) and Ruby Meylan of Oklahoma State (12-4). Frahm lasted seven innings, allowing one run on seven hits while walking one and striking out seven. Ruby Meylan threw 10 innings, scattering eight hits while allowing one run and one walk while striking out nine. Neither factored into the decision.
The Huskers broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth. Kacie Hoffmann led off the inning with an infield single. Hannah Coor bunted Hoffmann’s pinch runner, Katelyn Caneda, to second base. Caneda advanced to third on Bella Bacon’s fly out to right field, then scored on Lauren Camenzind’s single up the middle.
The Cowgirls nearly tied the game in the bottom of the sixth. Leading off the inning, Aubrey Jones blasted a fly ball to center field that looked like it would leave for a home run. But Coor tracked it back and to her left, leapt at the wall, and stole a would-be home run to keep the game 1-0 NU>
That score would hold until the bottom of the seventh, and it looked like it would hold for good. With two outs, Tia Warsop hit a sharp grounder to second base. Lauren Camenzind bobbled the ball, spun, picked up the ball and threw to first. The throw was initially ruled in time to retire Warsop. Olahoma State challenged the call, and video review showed Warsop had beaten the throw for a single. With Audrey Schneidmiller at the plate, Frahm threw a wild pitch, advancing Warsop to second. Schneidmiller then singled to right, scoring Warsop to tie the game. Jayden Jones followed with a single, moving Schneidmiller’s pinch runner, Kaya Booker, to second base. Aubrey Jones followed with a single to right field. Booker tried to score from second, but Hoffmann threw her out at the plate to keep the game tied at one and send it to extra innings.
Hoffmann led the Nebraska offense by going 3-for-4 at the plate. Frahm was 2-for-5 hitting. Alexis Jensen (5-2) came on in the 8th and threw three shutout innings before allowing the game-ending home run to take the loss. Rylee Crandall (5-0) entered the game for OSU in the 11th and sat down the Huskers 1-2-3 to earn the win in relief. Schneidmiller, Jayden Jones and Jayelle Austin had two hits each for Oklahoma State.
Nebraska returns to action Friday, as the Huskers face South Dakota State, then Tulsa. First pitch from Tulsa, Okla., is slated for 2:30 p.m.