Davis' walk-off homer lifts No. 15 OSU past No. 6 Nebraska in 11-inning thriller

Rosie Davis knew the ball was out of the ballpark the moment it left her bat.

Even with a blackened eye and the weight of the moment on her shoulders, Oklahoma State’s third baseman delivered for her team. On a 2-0 count, Davis sat on a fastball from Nebraska closer Alexis Jensen.

Davis watched as the ball sailed deep into the blackened Stillwater night sky. It cleared the batter’s eye in dead center field as Cowgirl Stadium jolted into a state of pandemonium shortly after. 

“I knew it was gone because it literally felt like butter hitting my bat,” Davis said. “I’m not a big bat-flip person, but as soon as I saw that, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is out.’ And I just went ballistic.”

And Davis celebrated accordingly. A herd of her teammates huddled around her as she crossed home plate, commemorating the moment in proper fashion.

“That ball was (smoked) — I knew right away,” Cowgirls’ coach Kenny Gajeski said. “Getting into my 11th year (as head coach) I was able to watch. Like, I knew it was gone, so I was just looking at everybody.”

No. 15 OSU outlasted No. 6 Nebraska 2-1 in 11 innings on Thursday at Cowgirl Stadium, opening play in the annual OSU-Tulsa Invitational. Eleven innings, 3 hours and 12 minutes of pure chaos.

In a battle of the aces, Ruby Meylan and Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm traded blows.

Inning by inning, the combined strikeout total skyrocketed. Frahm bullied OSU hitters with her overpowering fastball, while Meylan dazzled with her wipeout drop ball. 

The Cornhuskers (11-5) drew first blood in the top of the fifth with a two-out RBI-single from second baseman Lauren Camzind. 

Eventually, Meylan settled in. She threw a career-high 10 innings and 135 total pitches and provided stability for the Cowgirls (12-4) as they searched for footing offensively. 

“I mostly didn’t feel a thing,” Meylan said. “I was kind of in my flow state, just going out there, pumping strikes in the zone and forcing people to mishit balls — that’s how I like to pitch.”

In the end, Meylan bested college softball’s premier arm. She struck out nine — matching Frahm’s total — surrendering only eight hits, one walk and an earned run. Shortly after, senior right-hander RyLee Crandall entered in relief in the top of the 10th and shut the door.

Which set up Davis’ late-game heroics.

Two days prior, Gajewski said he was unsure of whether she’d play against the Cornhuskers. During Tuesday practice, a ground ball took a bad hop and hit her in the left eye, laces-first. The pain, she said, was excruciating. But she practiced through it, as if the injury hadn’t occurred. 

A plethora of retrospective game-winning opportunities awaited OSU over the game’s course. All to no avail. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Huskers’ center fielder Hannah Coor robbed Cowgirls’ freshman shortstop Aubrey Jones of a game-tying solo blast. In the bottom of the ninth, Nebraska right fielder Kacie Hoffman gunned down OSU’s Kaya Booker at home after a Jones single, preventing Booker from scoring the winning run. 

Extra innings only intensified the tension. OSU placed runners in scoring position multiple times but couldn’t deliver the decisive swing. Nebraska threatened, too, forcing Meylan — and later Crandall — to execute with precision as every pitch carried amplified consequence.

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So, blackened eye or not, Davis said she remained adamant to end the game in dramatic fashion. Sure enough, she did just that.

“That’s a kid who works her tail off here,” Gajewski said. “She’s got a big black eye. She got hit in the eye on Tuesday during practice. I wasn’t even sure if she’d be able to play. But just to watch her run around and see the people here to support her, it was really cool.