Cowgirls overcome slow starts to sweep Kansas
STILLWATER — Rallying for wins was the theme of the week for the Oklahoma State softball team in its series against visiting Kansas.
In two of the three games, OSU found itself behind after surrendering early runs. The Cowgirls were down 4-0 on Thursday and rallied to win 9-4, then fell behind 2-0 on Saturday before pulling away for a 10-2 run-rule victory.
Here's a look at what we learned about the Cowgirls over the weekend:
Versatility pays off
OSU starting shortstop Kiley Naomi suffered a minor back injury during pregame batting practice on Thursday, which caused some quick shuffling of the lineup card.
Coach Kenny Gajewski moved third baseman Sydney Pennington to shortstop, where she played as a freshman in 2018, and replaced her with junior Karli Petty, who hadn't played third since
high school.
Starting all three games at the new positions, Pennington and Petty didn't commit an error, maintaining the Cowgirls' reputation as one of the top defensive teams in the country. OSU has a team fielding percentage of .982, which ranks fourth nationally.
Center fielder Chyenne Factor filled Naomi's No. 2 spot in the batting order, reaching base four times, driving in three runs and scoring three times. She also hit her team-leading 10th home run of the season.
More Maxwell dominance
OSU ace Kelly Maxwell only got one start over the weekend, so she made sure to take advantage of it.
The junior left-hander allowed two hits in a 6-0 victory on Friday, walking none and striking out 18 to improve to 14-1 on the season.
The 18 strikeouts are the most by an OSU pitcher in a seven-inning game and tied for the fifth-most in any game.
Maxwell's earned-run average dipped to 1.04 and she has 198 strikeouts in 107 2⁄ innings pitched.
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Opponents are batting .133 against her with 49 total hits, only 15 of which have been for extra bases.
Don't talk about Bruno
OSU pitcher Miranda Elish had quite a weekend, but she had to work for it.
In both of her pitching victories, Elish fell behind after giving up first-inning home runs — both to Kansas' Olivia Bruno. The two homers accounted for five of the six runs Elish allowed in two complete-game victories.
Her first-inning struggles aside, Elish was otherwise incredible, allowing a combined one run on five hits in the other 10 innings she pitched.
At the plate, Elish was just as dangerous against Kansas, going 5-for-9 with a home run and seven RBIs batting out of the cleanup spot.
In Big 12 play, Elish is 16-for-35 with five home runs and 19 RBIs.
Gajewski has been working to balance innings for Elish and Maxwell in the circle, alternating their two-start weekends during Big 12 play. For the season, Maxwell has thrown 107 2⁄ in
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nings and Elish has thrown 97 1⁄3.
Gajewski is also trying to get Morgan Day more involved in the rotation. She has a 2.66 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 50 innings.