Cowgirls Run-Rule Arizona in Game 1 of Super Regional
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - Lexi Kilfoyl pitched a complete game shutout, Karli Godwin, Claire Timm and Micaela Wark each hit a home run and No. 5 national seed Oklahoma State beat Arizona 8-0 in five innings Friday night in Game 1 of the best-of-three Stillwater Super Regional.
Oklahoma State (48-10) can clinch a berth in the Women's College World Series with a win in Game 2 on Saturday.
Jilyen Poullard walked to lead off the bottom of the first inning, advanced to second on a double down the line in right by Tallen Edwards and scored on a sacrifice fly by Caroline Wang. Godwin hit an 0-2 pitch back up the middle for a single that drove in Edwards to make it 2-0.
Timm and Wark hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the bottom of the inning and Godwin, who hit a two-out solo homer in the third, was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded as part of a five-run fourth that made it 8-0.
Kilfoyl gave up three hits and a walk with three strikeouts for Oklahoma State. Godwin finished 2 for 2 with 3 RBIs.
The Cowgirls earned the program's first run-rule win in a super regional and their 15th straight NCAA tournament win at home.
After Blaise Biringer grounded out to lead off the fifth for Arizona (37-17-1), Emily Schepp walked, moved to second on a ground out by Tayler Biehl and then to third on an infield single by Kaiah Altmeyer before Dakota Kennedy hit into a fielder's choice to end the game. Schepp was the only Wildcats player to advance beyond first base.