The No. 13 Oklahoma State softball team continued its magical postseason run Saturday, as the Cowgirls bested No. 4 Florida State, 3-2, to win the Tallahassee Super Regional and secure the program’s first Women’s College World Series berth since 2011.
It is the eighth time overall that OSU (44-15; 13-5 Big 12) has advanced to Oklahoma City, a mark which ties Texas A&M for the 12th-most WCWS appearances in NCAA history.
The Cowgirls struggled over the first two innings of Saturday’s Super Regional finale, but freshman Chyenne Factor eased the tension with a solo home run to left field that silenced the JoAnne Graf Field crowd. The Pokes scored once more in the third inning, as Chelsea Alexander beat out a bunt single, and then a pair of Seminole throwing errors on the play allowed Sydney Pennington to score the game’s second run.
Florida State scratched a run across on three base hits in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut into the OSU lead, prompting coach Kenny Gajewski to pull starter Samantha Show and replace her with junior Logan Simunek.
Simunek was dynamic in her 2 2/3 innings of relief work, as the only damage the Seminoles mustered off the Cowgirl pitcher was a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning. That solo shot was negated by a Madi Sue Montgomery sacrifice fly earlier in the top of the sixth, which proved to be the game-deciding run.
It was Montgomery’s 203rd career RBI, making her one of just six players in Big 12 history to drive in at least 200 runs. She is also only the second player in Big 12 history (Sydney Romero, Oklahoma) to record at least 30 home runs, 50 doubles and 200 RBI.
The senior, who last week recorded the final out to send OSU into Super Regionals, did so again this week, as she fielded a soft grounder at second base, fired on to Samantha Show at first and clinched the Cowgirls’ World Series berth.
The Pokes are lined up with the top half of the bracket and will face the winner of the Gainesville Super Regional in their first contest next weekend.
From Oklahoma State University
