How did Karli Godwin power Oklahoma State softball to Bedlam win? 'This kid is special'
NORMAN — Well before Karli Godwin ever stepped onto the turf for her first Bedlam softball game on Friday, Oklahoma State coach Kenny Gajewski sensed a tranquility in his freshman first baseman.
When Godwin laced a double into left field in her first at-bat, Gajewski knew she was in a good place.
“She looked calm, she looked excited, like almost in this weird space, like what great people do,” Gajewski said after Godwin drove in four runs to carry the fourth-ranked Cowgirls to a 6-3 win over No. 2 Oklahoma at Love’s Field. “I don’t know what that’s like. I’ve just seen it.
“I’ve been around some good kids, and she’s got it.”
Godwin went 3 for 4 with two doubles and a home run, providing the bulk of the Cowgirl offense in a victory that kept them alive for the Big 12 regular-season title.
With Texas’ win Friday, the Sooners (45-5 overall) and Longhorns are tied atop the standings at 21-4 in league play. OSU (43-8) is a game back at 20-5 with two games to play.
Godwin would’ve had another RBI when her first-inning double scored Tallen Edwards from first base, but OU challenged the call at the plate and it was overturned by video review, ending the inning.
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“I was definitely calm,” Godwin said. “I try to be every game, but sometimes I get a little antsy. I have to take a deep breath and know that I’m prepared and I’m good enough to be here. Today, it was just a sense of peace knowing this team can do crazy things, and I fully came in here expecting us to show out.”
Gajewski has been hesitant to pour too much praise on Godwin in her first season, but he couldn’t help himself Friday.
“This kid is special,” he said. “Ice water’s going right through her veins. This crowd, she wasn’t affected at all.”
The Cowgirls had fallen behind 2-0 after two innings, but found their offense in the third and fourth, scoring three runs off former OSU star Kelly Maxwell, who transferred to OU last summer.
OSU pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl, who worked in relief of Kyra Aycock, allowed one unearned run on two hits over four innings to earn the win. It was OSU’s first win in Norman since 1997 and third win in 26 games during Gajewski’s nine seasons.
“We’ve had our butts kicked here a lot,” Gajewski said. “We’ve been getting closer and closer. We’ve got a long way to go. This thing is not over, I know that. But it feels good for these people in here that’ve been grinding with me for nine years.”
Here are three takeaways from the Cowgirl victory:
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Jilyen Poullard lights spark again
Gajewski spoke earlier in the week about the fire senior center fielder Jilyen Poullard has brought to the dugout over the last few weeks when she began hitting well.
Her home run to right field — and maybe more so, her celebratory circling of the bases — provided similar energy.
Godwin had doubled in two runs in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 2, and Micaela Wark hit a solo homer in the fourth for a 3-2 lead.
Then Poullard sent a shot that landed in the OSU seating section just over the right field fence, her third home run in the last two games. As she passed first base, she turned back toward OSU's dugout, letting out a scream as she continued to bounce around the bases.
“I knew I hit that ball really, really well,” Poullard said. “I was still running to first with some pretty good intent. But I saw it go over and I was trying to take as much time around the basepaths as I could.
“As I’m getting more experience with it, I’m taking my time and making sure me and my team can stay in that energy and in that moment for as long as we can.”
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Unique pitching decision pays off
Gajewski seemed to be at least half-joking when he said he avoided pitching coach Carrie Eberle for a few days early in the week.
Gajewski had a gut feeling about Eberle’s idea for the pitching plan in the Bedlam series, and Gajewski wasn’t sure he was ready to pull the trigger.
The idea was to start sophomore Kyra Aycock, hoping to get through at least a couple innings before handing the ball to Kilfoyl.
“I figured she had something crazy that she wanted to do,” Gajewski said of Eberle. “I told her on Wednesday night that I’d talk to her Thursday when we got to Norman.
“But I just needed to process it. I knew what she wanted. When she was convicted in how she was talking to me, I was like, ‘This is why I hired you.’”
The Cowgirls had studied some new analytics in the offseason, and entered the year with a new take on using the pitching staff. But they got away from it in the middle of the year, going with more traditional pitcher usage.”
Gajewski stuck with the plan after some early control issues for Aycock, who walked four batters, forcing in a run in the first inning. She improved her control, walking two more and allowing just one hit — an infield single — over three innings.
Then Kilfoyl came in and was strong to the end. The run she allowed scored after the OSU infield committed two errors.
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Bedlam by the numbers
OSU has won nine straight games this season, and have trailed in each of the last four wins.
Godwin already holds the OSU freshman home run record, but extended it to 13 with her homer Friday.
This was OSU’s first win over OU in Norman since 1997.
The six runs was the most scored by OSU in Norman since a 6-2 win in 1985.
The 6-3 final was the biggest margin of victory for OSU in the series since a 4-0 win in 2003.
Friday night’s crowd of 4,538 was the largest ever at Love’s Field in its debut year.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Karli Godwin lifts Oklahoma State softball to rare Bedlam road victory
