The No. 16 Arizona Wildcats battled to come back from a 5-0 deficit and even took a late lead, but a game-ending fielder’s choice in the bottom of the 10th proved to be the difference in an 8-7 loss at Oklahoma State.
It took a Herculean effort from OSU starter Ruby Meylan. Meylan threw 133 pitches in the Cowgirls’ win over No. 1 Oklahoma on Wednesday. Two days later, she was back throwing 160 against the Wildcats.
Meylan’s will to win was evident when in the top of the 10th, she got close friend and
former teammate Sydney Stewart to hit a ball weekly to the infield. When none of her infielders went to cover first base, Meylan desperately tried to reach it and get the out. She was a hair late, but it was obvious that she wasn’t giving up despite the fact that the Wildcats were seeing her better each inning.
Arizona outfielder Tele Jennings sacrificed Stewart to second in hopes of grabbing a lead, but Meylan slammed the door with a flyout and a groundout.
Her team responded in the bottom of the 10th. Jenae Berry briefly came in to relieve Rylie Holder in the bottom of the ninth. Berry got the final out of the inning, but she wasn’t as successful to start the 10th. She got a full count on Claire Timm, but lost her to a walk.
That brought Holder back into the circle. Karli Godwin sacrificed Timm to second. A meeting in the circle followed and Stewart set up well wide of the plate to receive the first two pitches of Rosie Davis’ at-bat. The second one was too close, though, and Davis got her bat on it.
Shortstop Tayler Biehl fielded the ball, but the poor camera work didn’t show why Biehl didn’t throw the ball to first for the second out of the inning. The assumption would be that Davis was too close to get the out, but there was no video to prove that. Whatever the reason, Oklahoma State had two on with just one out and just needed one run to win the game.
Holder continued to have difficulty hitting spots. She had been unable to keep the hall far enough outside the zone to walk Davis. In the next at-bat, she couldn’t find the zone and walked Lexi McDonald on four straight pitches.
Now, the bases were loaded with just one out. OSU didn’t need much, but Arizona got close to turning the Cowgirls away. Holder induced a fielder’s choice for the second out. She just needed one out now, but the bases were still loaded.
Holder couldn’t get the final out of the inning. Tia Warsop singled to right field to drive in Davis and end the game.
Arizona had to battle mightily just to get to the point where it could be walked off in the tenth. The Wildcats’ pitchers gave up runs in each of the first three innings and the hitters failed to do their part early on. They were in a 5-0 hole after three innings.
Things started to turn around in the top of the fourth. Some of the success came from usual places, but Arizona got contributions from starters and reserves as it pushed to get back into the game.
First, designated player Tele Jennings came up big. It was needed both for the team and the player.
Jennings had a string of three multi-hit games spanning the Baylor and Iowa State series. Over those three games, she was 6-of-11. Outside those games, she came into the OSU series 7-of-33 (.212 batting average).
Jennings came up after Sereniti Trice hit her second double of the game and Stewart struck out. Jennings got the second double of the inning to put Arizona on the board.
The Wildcats couldn’t get more out of the inning, but it was a start.
Emma Kavanagh stepped in to pinch hit for Addison Duke in the fifth. Kavanagh had the big pinch hit double that won the final game at LSU. She didn’t put the Wildcats on top this time, but she got them closer.
Freshman first baseman Kez Lucas used a one-out single to put a runner on for Arizona. Kavanagh has a bit more power than Duke and has done a strong job as a pinch hitter this season.
It was no different this time. Kavanagh hit one high into the windy afternoon sky. It easily left the yard, cutting the Cowgirls’ lead to two.
Holder threw her second straight scoreless inning in the bottom of the fifth. Her team had six outs to overtake OSU.
The Wildcats sliced one more run off the OSU lead in the top of the sixth. Biehl’s two-out single was followed by an RBI triple from Grace Jenkins. Now, there was just one run separating the two teams.
OSU got a run back in the bottom of the sixth. Arizona had to score at least two in the seventh or the game was over.
Kavanagh struck out and Regan Shockey grounded out to put the Wildcats one out from defeat, but the Cowgirls gave the visitors a gift. Trice reached on an error to bring up Stewart.
Stewart reached on a walk in the first, but her friend in the opposing circle won the next two face-offs. It was Stewart’s turn this time.
It was Stewart’s 16th home run of the season. Her team had new life.
Stewart was part of more heroics in the bottom of the inning. OSU’s Jayelle Austin stepped into the box with two outs and a runner on. The Cowgirls just needed one run to end the game.
Austin hit a dangerous ball down the right field line. Audrey Schneidmiller rounded the bases and headed for home. Jenkins got it in as quickly as she could, and Lucas closed the gap to field the relay. She turned a fired to Stewart at home. It was waiting for Schneidmiller when she arrived and Stewart lunged back to tag the runner. Third out at home and the game was going to extras.
Arizona took its first lead of the day in the top of the eighth on a solo shot from Biehl, but Oklahoma State responded with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the inning.
The Wildcats had the opportunity to take another lead in the top of the tenth. Stewart led off and got into a 3-1 count before hitting one off the end of the bat towards the 3-4 hole.
OSU first baseman McDonald fielded it. First base had to be covered by either Godwin or Meylan. It seemed like a slow-developing play. Meylan took off for first, but Stewart beat her out. Jennings moved Stewart over with a sac bunt, but the next two batters couldn’t get her in. That set up the bottom of the 10th when OSU finally came through with the walkoff.
Jalen Adams started the game for Arizona but went just one inning. She gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits and a hit batter. She warmed up several times after she was removed but never returned to the game.
Holder went 8.1 innings. She gave up five earned runs on 15 hits, three walks, and one hit batter.
Berry came in briefly, throwing 0.1 innings over parts of two innings. She struck out one to end the ninth then walked the first batter of the 10th inning. Holder re-entered the game after the leadoff walk in the 10th.
The two teams combined for 15 runs on 29 hits, five walks, two hit batters, and two errors. Arizona used three pitchers while OSU relied on Meylan to throw every pitch of the game.
Meylan’s two long outings in two days could be the silver lining in the loss for Arizona. The game lasted 4 hours and 40 minutes, ending at 5:46 p.m. MST. The two teams return to the field at noon MST on Saturday.
If Meylan has to pitch again, she will be doing it after throwing 293 pitches since Wednesday. Arizona was seeing her much better as the game unfolded on Friday and would be facing her for the second time in less than 24 hours. No one else on the OSU staff has an ERA below 4.20.
The game was moved up to 1 p.m. MST due to an incoming storm, but there were still weather issues to contend with. Shockey had her at-bat to start the game, but lightning came calling immediately afterward. The game had to be delayed for at least 30 minutes after the final appearance of lightning in the area. It didn’t take much longer than the initial 30 minutes.
