STILLWATER — Even when it looked like Oklahoma State got a break, it didn’t.
In the seventh inning Wednesday night, the Cowgirls thought they were down to their final out, until an umpire-initiated video review led to an overturned call that ended second-ranked Texas’ 1-0 win.
Despite a gutsy effort and a record crowd at Cowgirl Stadium, OSU came up short of a major non-conference upset.
The Cowgirls put at least one runner on base in every inning, three times getting someone into scoring position.
In the third and fifth innings, a runner was stranded at third. And in the sixth, runners were left on first and second when pinch-hitter Claire Timm’s sinking line drive was snagged by a sliding Kayden Henry in center field.
“The difference for us was, they hit some balls hard, we didn’t,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewski said. “They pitched well. I thought we had some opportunities. We just couldn’t cash in the big hit.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Lexi McDonald was hit by a pitch with one out and was replaced by pinch-runner Rachael Hathoot.
Megan Bloodworth hit a grounder to second base and after the force out at second, Bloodworth was initially ruled safe at first.
Texas coach Mike White had used both his challenges, but argued the call, which led to a conversation among the umpires before they initiated the review that ended the game.
Ruby Meylan strong to start, finish
The Cowgirls came into the day with a unique plan for implementing its pitching staff.
Ruby Meylan started and pitched the first three innings, handing the ball to RyLee Crandall to start the fourth. Meylan returned with two outs in the fifth, after Crandall had faced a specific section of the Texas lineup.
“We talked about it all week,” Meylan said. “RyLee matched up really well with the bottom of their lineup, so she tried to get five to six outs, and as soon as she got her outs, I knew it was my turn again.”
The last batter Crandall faced was Henry, who bunted for a single. After Meylan reentered, Henry stole second. And Mia Scott followed with a single to score her for the game’s only run.
“We’re trying to save some bullets for Ruby,” Gajewski said. “This is something we wanted to do in the first month, our analytical type thing where we put RyLee in where she can be the very best.
“It wasn’t easy to do, to be honest, but I’m committed to what (pitching coach Carrie Eberle) wants to do, and it worked great, so it makes me feel good on that.”
Record crowd, drumline in attendance
With the expanded deck in left field, along with an additional set of temporary bleachers that were added down the right field line before the season, OSU set the Cowgirl Stadium attendance record with 2,012 fans.
That included the drumline from the Cowboy Marching Band, which entertained fans from the top row of the new left field deck.
“This was just a huge night for softball,” Meylan said. “It was really cool to be a part of. Obviously, we wanted to come out on top, but I don’t think any of us are mad about the outcome. There’s just little things to work on, but we proved we can compete with pretty much any team in the country.”
With the energy of the stadium atmosphere and the on-field performance of his team, Gajewski remains confident in the Cowgirls’ ability to get the season heading in the right direction.
The Cowgirls (27-16, 8-8 Big 12) are now 12-12 in their last 24 games, but have begun showing signs of growth.
“I’ve gotten a PhD in Perry Positive Guy this year,” Gajewski joked. “But that’s who I am. I just feel like our best softball is ahead of us. I’ve seen it. If it doesn’t happen, then I’ll tell you at the end I just missed. But I still feel good about this group.
“There’s a lot of teams right now that would be falling apart, so I think our 10 years here is holding us together when it’s hard, and this is hard.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State softball misses shot to boost NCAA resume vs Texas