Cowgirl Softball Wins Third Straight, Tops Mizuno Classic

Sunday, March 8

Stillwater, Okla.

11:00 AM

Oklahoma State University

9-9

UMKC

9-12

UMKC

Oklahoma State

Cowgirl Softball Wins Third Straight, Tops Mizuno Classic

March 08, 2015 | Cowgirl Softball

Box Score

March 8, 2015

STILLWATER, Okla. - The Oklahoma State softball team grabbed the 2015 Mizuno Classic title on Sunday, defeating UMKC, 11-7, in the tournament championship game at Cowgirl Stadium.

Box Score

After trailing, 5-1, after two and half innings, the Cowgirls (9-12) scored nine unanswered runs to gain a commanding lead on the Roos. Oklahoma State provided a consistent offensive attack throughout the entire contest, scoring in five of six innings at the plate.

"I was extremely glad to see us come out on top, and this is a win we can pull from down the road," head coach Rich Wieligman said. "We didn't have our best game defensively, but we played hard, kept scoring and eventually came from behind to get the victory."

In the circle, Brandi Needham battled through five OSU errors to keep the UMKC bats in check and earn her team-leading fifth victory. Needham only allowed three earned runs in the complete-game effort, which gave the sophomore her second-consecutive win after she went the distance against Evansville on Saturday.

The Cowgirls' offensive surge began in the third, as Tiffany Mikkelson ripped an RBI double to right-center, scoring Shianne Hughes. In the next at-bat, Dre McKee lined a double down the left field to line to bring home Mikkelson and Vanessa Shippy and cut the Roos' lead down to one.

In the following frame, Mikkelson came through once again, blasting a two-run homer off the flagpole in left to put the Cowgirls up, 8-5. The long ball capped off a blazing five-game run for Mikkelson, in which she hit .571, compiled 11 RBIs and crossed the plate nine times.

Michaela Patton (3-3, 2 RBIs, 2 R) also thrived at the plate in Saturday's win, and helped spark a two-run rally in the fifth that extended OSU's lead to six. After leading off the inning with a single, she scored on Mallory Collins' two-run double, putting the final touches on her first-career three-hit game with the Cowgirls.

Others leading the way offensively were McKee (2-4, 2 RBI), Shelby Davis (1-5, SB) and Shippy, who reached base four times and posted two hits in the Cowgirls' victory.

"We had several clutch hits today," Wieligman said. "That's something that we've been struggling with, so I'm very proud of how we capitalized when we needed to and how we played tough throughout the entire game."

The victory gives OSU a three-game winning streak heading into this week's mid-week tilt against Wichita State, which is set to begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Cowgirl Stadium.