The Cowgirls battled against Utah on Friday night as they leaned on Ruby Meylan to lead them to a 2-1 victory.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT — In a classic pitchers’ duel under the lights at Dumke Family Softball Stadium, the No. 21 Oklahoma State Cowgirls defeated the Utah Utes 2-1 on Friday night, March 27, in the first of a three-game Big 12 series.
It marked the first time in program history that Oklahoma State had ever traveled to Salt Lake City, adding extra to the road victory.
The Cowgirls improved to 23-10 overall and 5-5 in conference play, while Utah dropped to 25-9 and 4-3 in the Big 12. All three runs crossed the plate in the third inning, and the game was decided by clutch hitting, airtight defense, and the iron will of OSU ace Ruby Meylan.
The scoring opened in the top of the third when Karli Godwin and Jayelle Austin reached base. Amanda Hasler then delivered the game’s biggest hit, a single through the left side that plated both runners for a 2-0 Cowgirl lead.
Utah answered immediately in the bottom half when Hailee White scored on Kayla Lyon’s RBI single up the middle, cutting the deficit to 2-1. From there, the game became a battle of wills between two complete-game pitchers. No home runs were hit, and both teams managed just six hits apiece, but OSU’s two errors were offset by outstanding defensive plays that kept Utah from tying or taking the lead.
Meylan was the story of the night. The Omaha, Nebraska, native threw her ninth complete game of the 2026 season, going the full seven innings and allowing just one earned run on six hits while walking four and striking out six. She threw a grueling 125 pitches, pushing well past the century mark in a high-workload outing with her endurance and competitiveness.
Meylan struck out the side’s final batter in the third to escape a jam after Utah’s run scored, induced a key rundown between third and home in the sixth, and sealed the victory with a strikeout in the seventh after Utah put two runners on with two outs. Her performance moved her to 13-6 on the year and shows why she remains the go-to clutch “need the win, here” player for the Cowgirl pitching staff.
Hasler finished 1-for-2 with the two pivotal RBI and was hit by a pitch. Claire Timm added a double, Tia Warsop and Rosie Davis each had a base hit (Davis notched her 150th career hit in the first inning), and Gabby Castillo made a critical throw-out at the plate in the fifth to preserve the one-run lead.
On the base paths, Audrey Schneidmiller swiped a bag while Amanda Hasler was caught stealing.
For Utah, Lyon went 2-for-4 with the lone RBI, and Hailey Maestretti (8-2) matched Meylan pitch-for-pitch in a complete-game loss, allowing two earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts.
Meylan’s importance to Oklahoma State cannot be overstated. In 2025, her first full season in Stillwater after transferring from Washington, she went 21-10 with a 1.81 ERA, 209 innings pitched, and 238 strikeouts, ranking ninth on OSU’s all-time single-season strikeout list and earning unanimous All-Big 12 First Team honors plus NFCA Second Team All-American recognition.
She led the conference in innings, shutouts, and complete games while posting three Big 12 Pitcher of the Week awards.
Entering 2026, she already ranks among the top 10 active NCAA pitchers in career appearances (143), innings pitched (over 626), and strikeouts (707). This season she continues to dominate, leading the Big 12 in innings and strikeouts while climbing OSU’s career pitching charts.
Her ability to log heavy workloads, evident in the 125-pitch gem Friday, gives the Cowgirls a true ace who can dominate series openers and carry the team deep into the postseason.
With Meylan anchoring the staff, Oklahoma State possesses the pitching pedigree to make a serious run toward the Women’s College World Series, especially if the offense continues to produce timely hits and the defense flashes like it did in Salt Lake City.
The series now shifts to Game 2 on Saturday, March 28, at 6 p.m. CT. Oklahoma State is expected to turn to one of its other reliable arms in the rotation, likely senior Rylee Crandall or freshman Preslee Downing, who have combined for a strong 10-3 record this year, while Utah will counter with a fresh starter from its deep pitching corps after Maestretti’s complete game effort.
A Sunday finale at noon CT will wrap up the first visit to Utah.