Arizona softball’s nine-game road trip ended in disappointment Sunday as they couldn’t hold on to their early lead and lost their second straight series.
No. 16 Arizona’s (31–13, 12-6 Big 12) 4-0 lead in the first didn’t hold up as No. 21 Oklahoma State (30–12, 11-7) rallied and hit a 2-run homer late to take the series’ rubber match, 7-5, on Sunday.
In the top of the first, junior outfielder Tele Jennings hit an RBI single to start the scoring.
Then senior utility Grace Jenkins hit a two-run double and sophomore infielder Jenna Sniffen drove in a run on a sacrifice bunt.
However, in the bottom of the first, OK State tied it up with four runs of its own. First senior outfielder Lexi McDonald hit a two-run double. Then senior catcher Amanda Hasler hit an RBI single and junior outfielder Tia Warsop hit into a double play that scored a run.
In the fourth, the Cowgirls took the lead on a sacrifice fly from senior outfielder Claire Timm.
The Wildcats tied it up again when Jennings hit an RBI double in the fifth, but OK State took a 7-5 lead in the home half of that inning when senior catcher Audrey Schneidmiller hit a two-run home run.
Sophomore Jenae Berry started the game for Arizona in the circle but didn’t record any outs before giving up four earned runs on three hits and a walk. Next, freshman Rylie Holder came in and she went 3⅓ innings, surrendering an earned run on three hits and a walk.
Senior Jalen Adams (18-7) threw the final 2⅔ for the Wildcats, with two earned runs, two hits, a walk and a strikeout.
OK State senior ace Ruby Meylan returned after a day of rest on Saturday. She threw a complete game with four earned runs, six hits, a walk and four strikeouts.
Arizona starting pitcher Jalen Adams (12), on in relief, cranks up a throw in the early innings against Oklahoma, Feb. 6, 2026, in Tucson.
On Saturday, Arizona evened the series with a 9-1 five-inning, run-rule win and an extra-inning game on Friday. The result snapped OK State’s three-game win streak.
The Wildcats opened the match with four runs in the first inning. First, the UA got a run off an error following a single by sophomore infielder Sereniti Trice.
Then Jennings drove in Trice with a sac fly. Senior infielder Tayler Biehl hit an RBI double and Jenkins hit an RBI single.
In the second inning, Arizona added another crooked number to the scoreboard when junior utility Regan Shockey hit an RBI double, senior utility Sydney Stewart got an RBI single and Biehl hit another RBI double.
Then, in the third, the Wildcats reached nine runs when Shockey and Trice hit back-to-back RBI singles.
OK State’s bid to extend the game came up short when they could only manage an RBI single from Schneidmiller.
Adams threw a complete game, giving up three hits, two walks and a run with a strikeout after only lasting one inning on Friday.
In game 1 on Friday, OK State opened the series with an 8-7 win in 10 innings.
The Cowgirls jumped ahead 5-0, but the Wildcats’ rally ended up without the win.
OK State scored three in the first on Timm's solo home run, a passed ball and an RBI single from Warsop.
Then, in the second, junior infielder Rosie Davis hit an RBI single and in the third, OK State went ahead 5-0 on a solo home run by Hasler.
The Wildcats got on the board in the fourth when Jennings hit an RBI double.
Then, in the fifth inning, sophomore utility Emma Kavanagh hit a two-run home run. Kavanagh also hit the game-winning double last week in their 8-4 win over No. 17 LSU.
Grace Jenkins rounds the bases vs. Texas Tech, Friday, March 13, 2026.
In the sixth, Jenkins hit an RBI triple.
In the bottom of the sixth, OK State responded with an RBI single by Davis.
However, in the top of the seventh Arizona tied it up when Stewart hit a two-run home run off her former Washington teammate, Meylan.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Cowgirls looked to have won the game when freshman outfielder Jayelle Austin hit a double to the wall with a runner on base, but Jenkins relayed to freshman infielder Kez Lucas, who threw out the runner with Stewart applying the tag at home.
In the eighth, Arizona took the lead when Biehl hit a solo homer, but in the bottom of the inning, Timm hit another one-run long ball to keep the game going.
Then, in the bottom of the 10th, Warsop hit a walk-off single.
Adams started the game for Arizona but lasted only an inning, giving up two earned runs on four hits. Holder (9-4) relieved her, going 8⅓ innings total, giving up five earned runs on 15 hits and three walks.
Berry came in for two batters in the ninth and 10th, striking out one and walking the other before Holder returned.
Meylan threw a complete game, giving up 10 hits, a walk and five earned runs while throwing 160 pitches. On Wednesday, she pitched a complete game in the Cowgirls’ 6-4 win over No. 1 Oklahoma in Oklahoma City.
Up next for the Wildcats is their final regular-season home series, against Houston (20-28, 3-18). ASU swept the Cougars over the weekend in Houston with a couple of run-rule wins.
Extra bases
– The Wildcats went 4-5 on their nine-game road trip, dropping their road record to 7-7. Arizona is 23-4 at home and 1-2 in neutral games.
– Saturday’s game, which was on ESPN2, set an OK State record for attendance with 2,093 fans. Arizona is averaging 1,939 this season and has led the Pac-10, Pac-12 or Big 12 in attendance every year since 1993 except for 2018 and 2021, when capacity was reduced.
– The Oklahoma State series was Arizona’s fifth road trip of the season and fourth where they had weather issues.
Friday’s game was moved back three hours on Thursday, but eight pitches into the game, it went into a 44-minute lightning delay.
The first series of the road trip, at Iowa State, was changed from Thursday to Saturday to a doubleheader on Easter and one game on Monday due to rain and cold temperatures.
