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STILLWATER — When the ball left her bat, Amanda Hasler’s first thought was to celebrate.
She knew her long fly ball would clear the wall of Cowgirl Stadium, but the Oklahoma State senior quickly had a second thought.
“I was actually thinking about bat-flipping,” she said with a smile. “But I was like, that might be foul. That will be really embarrassing.”
Instead, she intently watched the ball sail down the left field line as she jogged toward first base — so intently that when it was ruled fair, she nearly missed the base as she went into her home run trot.
“I didn’t know if it was gonna stay fair,” she said, but I was really glad it did.”
Hasler’s final home run at Cowgirl Stadium was one of her biggest, sparking a six-run fifth inning as 13th-seeded Oklahoma State knocked off 20th-seeded Stanford 11-5 on Sunday in the Stillwater Regional final.
More: Oklahoma State softball sweeps past Stanford to reach NCAA Tournament Super Regional
The win sent the Cowgirls to the super-regional round for the sixth time in the last seven opportunities, setting up what will be a highly anticipated Lincoln Super Regional against fourth-seeded Nebraska.
“Another offensive game, which is what we needed,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewski said. “They were having trouble throwing strikes, we were doing a good job of not swinging at balls.
“We only had six hits, but we had some hard outs. We had a lot of runners and it kept the pressure on them.”
The Cowgirls drew 11 walks and had two batters hit by pitches as Stanford cycled through four pitchers in hopes of keeping its season alive.
The constant stream of baserunners provided multiple scoring opportunities, though OSU missed out on a few early. Still, the Pokes built a 3-2 lead through four innings before Hasler’s momentum-boosting bomb.
After two walks and an infield single, Claire Timm launched a grand slam to right field, giving the Cowgirls the extra breathing room they needed.
With the wind gusting out to left field, no lead felt safe, but with Ruby Meylan locked in, a seven-run gap with three innings left felt awfully comfortable.
Meylan allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks, needing just 93 pitches. She threw 16 innings in the regional and earned the last two wins.
Gajewski said he and pitching coach Carrie Eberle Parker had a conversation about potential scenarios for the pitching staff, especially if OSU lost the first game and had to play a second one Sunday.
“No disrespect to anybody else on our pitching staff, but I think if we didn’t throw Ruby in the first game, these guys may have come after me,” Gajewski said, pointing to his players. “We did talk though. We talked through a lot of stuff. I’m proud of her for making sure I have all the right info.
“I’m not always easy to talk to, I’m sure, when I’m convicted of what I want to do.”
More: Oklahoma State softball rolling in NCAA regional even without Ruby Meylan's 'best stuff'
Hasler and Timm hope they have more than a couple games left in their college softball careers, but as seniors, they walked off the field Sunday knowing they’d never play another game in Cowgirl Stadium.
With her homer Sunday, Hasler became the eighth player to hit at least 30 home runs in a Cowgirl uniform.
Teammates Rosie Davis (32) and Karli Godwin (31) joined that club over the last few weeks, though Hasler has done it in two seasons after transferring from North Carolina State.
“Especially for the girls that have been here for four or five years, like Claire, I think it was important for us to end it with a bang,” Hasler said. “That’s gonna be our last game at Cowgirl Stadium — I’m just now realizing, which is crazy to think about.
“I think it’s so awesome that I get to have that memory of that being my last game there. I guess it’s not something we were thinking about, but I’m glad it ended that way.”
Timm is a career Cowgirl, who went through various ups and downs during her four years. But a regional title in her final home game is a perfect bow on that chapter of her career.
“I’m really glad it ended that way,” she said. “That was the best thing we could’ve asked for. It’s been a really good four years here.”
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State softball blasts Stanford to reach NCAA Super Regional
Continue reading...
She knew her long fly ball would clear the wall of Cowgirl Stadium, but the Oklahoma State senior quickly had a second thought.
“I was actually thinking about bat-flipping,” she said with a smile. “But I was like, that might be foul. That will be really embarrassing.”
Instead, she intently watched the ball sail down the left field line as she jogged toward first base — so intently that when it was ruled fair, she nearly missed the base as she went into her home run trot.
“I didn’t know if it was gonna stay fair,” she said, but I was really glad it did.”
Hasler’s final home run at Cowgirl Stadium was one of her biggest, sparking a six-run fifth inning as 13th-seeded Oklahoma State knocked off 20th-seeded Stanford 11-5 on Sunday in the Stillwater Regional final.
More: Oklahoma State softball sweeps past Stanford to reach NCAA Tournament Super Regional
The win sent the Cowgirls to the super-regional round for the sixth time in the last seven opportunities, setting up what will be a highly anticipated Lincoln Super Regional against fourth-seeded Nebraska.
“Another offensive game, which is what we needed,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewski said. “They were having trouble throwing strikes, we were doing a good job of not swinging at balls.
“We only had six hits, but we had some hard outs. We had a lot of runners and it kept the pressure on them.”
The Cowgirls drew 11 walks and had two batters hit by pitches as Stanford cycled through four pitchers in hopes of keeping its season alive.
The constant stream of baserunners provided multiple scoring opportunities, though OSU missed out on a few early. Still, the Pokes built a 3-2 lead through four innings before Hasler’s momentum-boosting bomb.
After two walks and an infield single, Claire Timm launched a grand slam to right field, giving the Cowgirls the extra breathing room they needed.
Ruby Meylan dialed in again
With the wind gusting out to left field, no lead felt safe, but with Ruby Meylan locked in, a seven-run gap with three innings left felt awfully comfortable.
Meylan allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts and no walks, needing just 93 pitches. She threw 16 innings in the regional and earned the last two wins.
Gajewski said he and pitching coach Carrie Eberle Parker had a conversation about potential scenarios for the pitching staff, especially if OSU lost the first game and had to play a second one Sunday.
“No disrespect to anybody else on our pitching staff, but I think if we didn’t throw Ruby in the first game, these guys may have come after me,” Gajewski said, pointing to his players. “We did talk though. We talked through a lot of stuff. I’m proud of her for making sure I have all the right info.
“I’m not always easy to talk to, I’m sure, when I’m convicted of what I want to do.”
More: Oklahoma State softball rolling in NCAA regional even without Ruby Meylan's 'best stuff'
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Hasler, Timm celebrate final home game
Hasler and Timm hope they have more than a couple games left in their college softball careers, but as seniors, they walked off the field Sunday knowing they’d never play another game in Cowgirl Stadium.
With her homer Sunday, Hasler became the eighth player to hit at least 30 home runs in a Cowgirl uniform.
Teammates Rosie Davis (32) and Karli Godwin (31) joined that club over the last few weeks, though Hasler has done it in two seasons after transferring from North Carolina State.
“Especially for the girls that have been here for four or five years, like Claire, I think it was important for us to end it with a bang,” Hasler said. “That’s gonna be our last game at Cowgirl Stadium — I’m just now realizing, which is crazy to think about.
“I think it’s so awesome that I get to have that memory of that being my last game there. I guess it’s not something we were thinking about, but I’m glad it ended that way.”
Timm is a career Cowgirl, who went through various ups and downs during her four years. But a regional title in her final home game is a perfect bow on that chapter of her career.
“I’m really glad it ended that way,” she said. “That was the best thing we could’ve asked for. It’s been a really good four years here.”
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State softball blasts Stanford to reach NCAA Super Regional
Continue reading...
