Cowgirls get blown away by Golden Hurricanes

In the sixth inning, the fans' hopes were as high as the deep fly ball Kelsey Anchors hit.

The Golden Hurricane right fielder tracked it down on the warning track, and sighs permeated through the stadium.

OSU fell to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 6-2 last night at Cowgirl Stadium, marking its first loss to an unranked team this season.

The Cowgirls (16-5) had won 10 of its previous 11 games, its only loss against No. 1 Washington, and two of their wins being against top 20 teams last weekend.

OSU earned its No. 19 ranking after defeating a No. 14 ranked Louisville and ending its 7-year, 15-game losing streak to a No. 11 OU last weekend.

"We're pretty disappointed," first baseman Julie Ward said. "It's hard to come off a weekend when you do so well and then you lose to a team that I feel we should beat."

Tulsa started the game with an infield single, followed by a double down the right field line, that runner scoring on a sacrifice fly to left.

Sophomore shortstop, Chelsea Garcia, had an error leaving the Golden Hurricane with runners at the corners, tallying another run after a line drive single to left field.

The Cowgirls answered back in the bottom of the second with a leadoff double off the right center field wall from redshirt freshman catcher Tamara Brown.

Freshman Designated player Amy Graham laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that died four feet in front of plate advancing Brown to third.

Brown scored on a single up the middle by senior right fielder Megan Castle.

However, the Cowgirls couldn't continue to rally.

"We didn't string hits when we needed them," Ward said.

In the top of the fifth, senior outfielder Lauren Lindsay hit a solo home run over the right center field wall, and the Golden Hurricane continued to score in each inning after.

OSU's other run came from a solo shot over the left field wall by Graham in the sixth inning.

In the middle of the sixth, senior pitcher Anna Whiddon was taken out and replaced by freshman Sarah Odom.

"I was definitely disappointed," Whiddon said. "I was a little let down in myself."
Whiddon pitched 5.1 innings, allowed six hits, four runs, three of them earned, and struck out five.

Apart from her personally disappointing performance last night, Whiddon has been an ace for the Cowgirls this season, being named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.

Whiddon is also the first Cowgirl to be named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player of the Week.

Ward has also been a big part of the Cowgirls success, being selected as the Big 12 Player of the Week, as well as being the second Cowgirl in history to be named the USA Softball Player of the Week.

"It's awesome for them to be able to make national players of the week and Big 12 players of the week, as well," coach Rich Wieligman said.  It's just an honor and it's great for our program."

Ward said it would have been nice to come out with a win after the honors she and her teammate received, but said the team has put the loss in the past and is ready to host the Mizuno Classic in Stillwater, beginning 4:30 p.m. Friday  against Wisconsin.

"We play way too many games to let one of them bother us," Wieligman said.