"Weather the storm": Cowgirls advance to regional final despite Kentucky's early surge

May 18—As the softball soared through the sky, glistening from the sun's intense gaze, Kentucky's Ally Hutchins was ready to celebrate her first-inning grand slam. Fans inside Cowgirl Stadium could be heard saying "that ball's gone," during its flight. A haymaker punch to the Cowgirls in Stillwater.

However, things didn't quite happen that way. For whatever reason, the ball came up mere feet short of clearing the fence, and the runners froze with the ball in the air, so just one run scored. Pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl then struck out the next three batters, keeping the deficit at two runs rather than five. A game-defining sequence that proved to be massive.

Oklahoma State used that opportunity to seize the lead a half-inning later and dominate its way to a 6-2 win over Kentucky on Saturday afternoon, securing a spot in the regional final on Sunday.

"I think that's been the mark of this team, and that may have been the surprise early on for me," Gajewski said. "It's not a surprise now."

"This team is in a really good spot, and man it's so fun to play at this ballpark," Oklahoma State head coach Kenny Gajewski said. "Like these fans are just crazy. It's just so cool to see our people support us. So, really good second day and now we can go home and kind of rest and watch everybody fight it out."

Kilfoyl's first pitch of the game was smacked up the middle for a leadoff double. The next four batters reached safely as well. The Wildcats came ready, but just as quickly as their bats heated up, they cooled down. Slowed to a grinding halt.

"Lexi wasn't exactly sharp to start," Gajewski said. "She missed some spots. Some pitches over the middle...I think it tells you she just needed to get dialed in just a little bit more. I mean, after the first I think she was perfect until the seventh"

That's no exaggeration from the Cowgirl head coach. After Hutchins' RBI single off the wall, the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year set down 19 straight batters, striking out 12 Wildcats in total (which ties her OSU career high).

The final statline for Kilfoyl was: 7 innings, five hits, two earned runs, 12 strikeouts, zero walks.

"She's never flustered, she's never caught off guard," outfielder Jilyen Poullard said. "She's never surprised, and even when things don't necessarily go our way, she's just always the same and I think that her being that way and her just being that magnet in the middle helps us out so much as a defense and it makes it so much easier to play behind her."

A career stretch at the plate continued for Poullard on Saturday. She led off the home half of the first with a shot to straight away center field for her second home run of the regional. As the team's energizer bunny, that was a huge statement as well as an indication of the offense that was to follow.

"I think kind of being able to start the game off like that kind and in that energizer role, I think that's something that the team really needed and I don't know a better way to start it off for us," Poullard said.

From there, Tallen Edwards singled, Caroline Wang walked and Rosie Davis walked as well. The bases were loaded with one out. Davis has been another standout at the plate in this regional, and her 11-pitch at bat played a huge role in Oklahoma State's big first inning.

"Her at bat was incredible, and that's the type of stuff that I think I'm most proud about her and Carli," Gajewski said. "They're the two youngest kids, they're getting the most work, the most time. But that type of stuff, we see that out of them a lot and it's been really cool."

Edwards darted home and scored on a wild pitch, Wang scored on a Claire Timm RBI single and Davis scored on a heads up play, tagging up from third on a popup on the infield when nobody covered home plate.

Oklahoma State led 4-2 after the first. The lead was extended when Davis doubled off the left field wall and Timm traded places with her on a double down the right field line.

In the sixth, Poullard gave the home crowd an encore. She turned on a low fastball and sent a line drive toward the scoreboard and out of the yard for her second home run of the game. Her third of the regional. Her seventh home run in her last nine hits. Yes you read that correctly.

Not even a year ago, the now Cowgirl standout thought her career was over. Beaten down and battered by her time at McNeese State, she was ready to walk away. Gajewski convinced Poullard to give it one last shot at Oklahoma State and she agreed.

The start of her lone season in orange was adverse to say the least. That led to a "tough conversation" between player and coach. One that was described as a make or break. It was either going to go one way or another. No inbetween.

"It's one that we'll remember for a long time," Gajewski said. "I was worried about it because that talk, if you don't have good people, could go two different ways. It could be really good or if you don't have somebody that's starting to trust and starting to buy in, and is mature enough, it could go the other way...It's what coaching is. It's what it's always been about."

When asked about her journey, Poullard can't believe what this season has brought her. She's been rounding the bases more than any other Cowgirl over the two weeks — the most important stretch of the season.

"It's everything that I could have ever imagined," Poullard said. "I didn't get as much as I've gotten in this short amount of time that I've been here, I didn't get that in four years where I was.

"Reflection has been a huge part of my collegiate career in general. I think just going back to the drawing board helps me a lot. I'm somebody who can get caught up in my own head and who can get in my own way a lot, so I think without reflection I would just kind of always be stumped."

Oklahoma State is now 17-1 in its last 18 home postseason games. Despite the blistering heat, 1,090 fans were in attendance.

The home advantage has been massive for the Cowgirls. More than some players even realized it would be before coming to OSU.

"I don't think I realized that this is what I was looking for, but playing in it, it's exactly what I was looking for," Timm said. "I love it. The fans, just playing in front of them. They're the best. I love everything about it."

Now, the Cowgirls will play in the regional finals for the fifth consecutive season. With a win, OSU would advance to the super regionals, which it would host as well. A loss would set up a winner-take-all if necessary game on Sunday evening.

Oklahoma State now awaits the winner of Kentucky/Michigan.