Oklahoma State is (probably) going to lose its first of two college softball games against Wichita State. The Cowgirls will have to wait another month to find out.
They will trail by five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning when the game that started on Tuesday picks back up on April 8.
Although this kind of continuation is not uncommon in college softball, it creates an awkward situation for one of the top-25 teams in the country. Oklahoma State still has to finish a prescheduled loss.
Oklahoma State trails Wichita State by five runs.
Wichita State traveled to Stillwater on Tuesday afternoon to face No. 15 Oklahoma State. First pitch was scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and took place on time.
The Shockers got things started with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning to open the scoring. They added two more runs on a double to center field later in the inning to take a 4-0 lead.
The offensive onslaught continued in the the top of the third with another two-run dinger. Wichita State took an 8-0 lead on a two-run single in the top of the fifth. It was trending toward a run rule.
A college softball game will end early if one team leads by 8 or more runs after 5 or more innings.
However, the Cowgirls were finally able to get on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning with an RBI double to make the score 8-1. Play on! They added two more runs in the sixth.
The score held at 8-3 into the bottom of the seventh inning, the last inning for college softball. Oklahoma State had two girls on base with one out. Wichita State was just two outs away from the upset win.
And then lightning struck.
The college softball game will continue next month.
Per NCAA rules, all outdoor athletic activities must be suspended when lightning is detected within 8 miles and mandates a 30-minute delay after the last strike before resuming. The game could not continue.
Instead of waiting out the delay or ruling the game in favor of the visitors, both teams agreed to hit pause.
The game will continue on April 8. The Cowgirls were already scheduled to play the Shockers on that day. They will pick back up where they left off on Tuesday and then play the regularly scheduled game.
There is obviously a chance that Oklahoma State could score six runs and win the game but I would imagine this is more about optics. The Cowgirls can say they lost the first game of a doubleheader instead of a home game against an unranked opponent.
That does not make it any less demoralizing. Oklahoma State has to play a prescheduled loss one month after the game began.