Clemson was unable to take down Oklahoma State on Thursday night, falling to the Cowgirls, 2-0, in game one of the three-game Stillwater Super Regional series.
Although Clemson’s pitching and defense kept the game within two, the Tigers couldn’t surpass Oklahoma State pitcher Kelly Maxwell, who had 13 strikeouts on the night. Maxwell got the win in the circle over Clemson’s Millie Thompson, who had two strikeouts and gave up seven hits.
Clemson first baseman Valerie Cagle and Marissa Guimbarda were the only two Tigers who recorded a hit on Maxwell. They both batted 1-for-3 at the plate.
The Cowgirls broke a four-inning shutout in the bottom of the fifth when center fielder Chyenne Factor hit a two-RBI single. Thompson was able to weather the storm and get out of a bases-loaded jam at the end of the inning, but Factor’s hit ended up being the game-winning at-bat. 
“A lot of credit to Maxwell and Oklahoma State’s hitters,” Clemson head coach John Rittman said. “They got timely hits when they needed them. I thought Millie [Thompson] pitched extremely well tonight and just had a rough inning there that we couldn’t get out of, but she limited the damage and gave ourselves a chance.”
The Tigers’ loss to the Cowgirls comes four days after Clemson shut out Louisiana to advance in postseason play. In the Clemson Regional, the Tigers had two run-rule victories en route to outscoring their opponents 18-0 in the three-game stretch.
Now, Clemson will look to get back on track on Friday in a must-win game two of the Stillwater Super Regional. The game will begin at 9 p.m. EDT, and if the Tigers lose, their season will be over. If they win, game three will be played on Saturday.
“The biggest thing I told our team after tonight was it’s not over,” Rittman said. “We still have a lot to fight for, and there’s three-game series for a reason, so we got to come out tomorrow night ready to play.”