Coach Kenny Gajewskiand thefifth-seeded Oklahoma State Cowgirlsface elimination from the Women's College World Series against eighth-seeded Stanford on Friday night.
OSU and Stanford will square off at 8:30 p.m. from Devon Park, with the loser seeing its season end. The winner will advance to face the loser of the Saturday game between top-seeded OU and No. 6 UCLA in a game scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday.
Here's what you need to know about the Cowgirls (49-11) and Cardinal (48-16):
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Oklahoma State softball live score updates vs. Stanford
FINAL: OSU's season ends with 8-0 loss (six innings) to Stanford
OSU placed runners on second and third base with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. But Canady secured Stanford's run-rule victory by striking out Timm.
That marked the end of OSU's season. Meanwhile, Stanford will face the loser of OU and UCLA in an elimination game at 6 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2).
— Justin Martinez, Staff writer
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Middle 6: Stanford takes an 8-0 lead
River Mahler gave Stanford a 7-0 contest when she got walked with the bases loaded.
Jade Berry then tried to come home on a fly ball later in the inning. OSU catcher Caroline Wang made the tag at the plate, but Berry was called safe due to obstruction.
— Justin Martinez, Staff writer
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End 5: Micaela Wark gets robbed of a home run
OSU nearly got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning when Micaela Wark smacked a ball into center field.
But Jones reached her glove over the wall and snatched the deep bomb, denying Wark of a solo home run and keeping the score at 6-0.
— Justin Martinez, Staff writer
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Middle 5: Stanford extends its lead to 6-0
Stanford's Ava Gall delivered an RBI single that gave her team a 5-0 lead, and Emily Jones added even more insurance on the next at-bat.
The sophom*ore connected on a pitch from Rosenberry and brought in another run with an RBI single.
— Justin Martinez, Staff writer
End 4: Karli Godwin stranded after single
Trailing 4-0, OSU got its third hit, but once again, the baserunner was left on the bags.
Karli Godwin lined a single to center field, and was nearly doubled off thanks to a diving catch on a line drive by Stanford second baseman Taryn Kern. But the throw was wild and Godwin returned to the bag safely. But a strikeout ended the inning with the Cowgirls still down four.
— Scott Wright, Staff writer
Middle 4: Another Stanford homer
The bottom one-third of the Stanford batting order continues to do damage to Oklahoma State.
No. 9 hitter Kaitlyn Lim fell into a 1-2 hole but worked the count full then launched a solo home run to right field for a 4-0 Stanford lead.
It was No. 7 hitter Anna Gall who homered earlier.
Ivy Rosenberry entered to pitch for OSU in place of Lexi Kilfoyl after the home run.
— Scott Wright, Staff writer
End 3: Cowgirls can’t score after leadoff double
OSU sophom*ore Lexi McDonald kept her hot hitting alive with a double to left field to lead off the third inning, and pinch-runner Macy Graf moved to third base on Megan Bloodworth’s sacrifice bunt.
But a strikeout and a lineout ended the inning with Graf on third.
The Cowgirls remain in a 3-0 hole heading to the fourth.
— Scott Wright, Staff writer
Middle 3: Stanford extends lead to 3-0
The Cardinal didn’t get a lot of hard contact in the third, but strung together three hits, aided by a wild pitch from Lexi Kilfoyl, to bring in two runs for a 3-0 lead.
Jade Berry hit a soft liner down the third base line but a diving Tallen Edwards couldn’t get to it. Two runs scored and Berry headed to second with a double.
The Cowgirls must find a way to solve Stanford ace NiJaree Canady.
— Scott Wright, Staff writer
End 2: OSU gets a single, nothing more
Claire Timm blooped a single to left-center field for OSU’s first hit of the game, but she was stranded at first base.
Adding insult to injury, OSU’s Rosie Davis struck out on a pitch that hit her back shoulder as she tried to hold up her swing.
— Scott Wright, Staff writer
Middle 2: Stanford takes 1-0 lead
Ava Gall squared up a pitch that was up and out of the strike zone, sending it over the fence to right field for a 1-0 Stanford lead. That was the only hit Stanford got, but it feels like a big momentum shift, considering the Cardinal have the nation’s best pitcher in the circle.
— Scott Wright, Staff writer
End 1: OSU goes down in order
OSU forced NiJaree Canady to throw 18 pitches to retire the Cowgirls in order, but it was otherwise a harmless inning with a strikeout, groundout and popout on the infield.
Still scoreless after one.
— Scott Wright, Staff writer
Middle 1: Stanford strands two
Stanford got a pair of baserunners with a walk and a hit batter, but couldn’t make anything out of it against OSU ace Lexi Kilfoyl.
Now the Cowgirls come to the plate in the bottom half to face USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year NiJaree Canady.
— Scott Wright, Staff writer
More:How Oklahoma State softball will prepare for WCWS elimination game vs Stanford
Will it be Lexi Kilfoyl vs. NiJaree Canady in WCWS elimination game?
Oklahoma State coach Kenny Gajewski seemed to hint Thursday night that he'd send ace pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl to the circle, and he likewise anticipates Stanford will go with its star pitcher, NiJaree Canady.
“Their season is on the line,” Gajewski said said.
Both Kilfoyl and Canady were among the three finalists for the USA Softball Player of the Year award, which Canady won.
If Gajewski goes with Kilfoyl, it’ll be another rare occurrence of her pitching on back-to-back days. Not once during the regular season did she pitch more than four innings on consecutive days, but she’s done it all through the postseason.
Kilfoyl threw 19 innings over three days in the regional two weeks ago, then nine innings over two days in the super regional last week.
“She wants to put the team on her back and go,” Gajewski said. “If she doesn't look good, we've got some good options. I'm not worried about that. We gotta ride our horse.”
— Scott Wright, Staff writer
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Oklahoma State softball highlights vs. Stanford in WCWS
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What time does Oklahoma State softball vs. Stanford start?
- Date:Friday, May 31
- Time:8:30 p.m. CT
- Where:Devon Park, Oklahoma City
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What channel is Oklahoma State softball vs. Stanford on today?
- TV:ESPN
- How to watch online:Watch ESPN (here's how to stream it live)
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