STILLWATER — An offensive explosion and another dominant outing for Oklahoma State pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl led to a short night for Cowgirl softball.

Fifth-seeded OSU scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth, then closed out the 8-0 run-rule victory over unseeded Arizona in Game 1 of the best-of-three Stillwater Super Regional on Friday night at Cowgirl Stadium.

Powered by home runs off the bats of Karli Godwin, Claire Timm and Micaela Wark, OSU got out to an early lead, then put the game away.

OSU can clinch its fifth straight trip to the Women’s College World Series with a win in Game 2, set for 6 p.m. Saturday.

Here are three takeaways from the Cowgirl victory: 

More: How Oklahoma State softball’s Jilyen Poullard overcame her ‘mental warfare’ to ignite team

Tallen Edwards looking like herself

OSU sophomore Tallen Edwards had four hits over her final 36 at-bats of the regular season, but she has quietly turned it around in the postseason.

Though she wasn’t so quiet on Friday.

After Jilyen Poullard led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk, Edwards laced a double down the right field line, moving Poullard to third.

That set up OSU’s first run of the game when Caroline Wang hit a sacrifice fly to left field.

From her spot at third base, Edwards ended one of Arizona’s few scoring opportunities In the top of the second when she zipped to her left to glove a hard grounder. She smoothly spun and threw perfectly off one foot for the final out of the frame.

More: How Oklahoma State softball’s Micaela Wark saw season turn since father’s home run catch

The Timm Reaper ignites big inning

OSU felt like it could use some insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, so when Timm launched her ninth home run of the season to right-center field, the cushion felt a bit more comfortable.

Then Wark followed immediately with a homer to left. 

From there, OSU added three more runs with RBIs from Megan Bloodworth, Godwin and Rosie Davis to extend the lead to 8-0.

More: NCAA Tournament super regional bracket: Full TV schedule, scores, results for Road to WCWS

Kilfoyl on cruise control

OSU ace Lexi Kilfoyl turned in her fourth straight impressive postseason performance, allowing three hits while striking out three.

She was dominant in pitching 19 of 21 possible innings during the Stillwater Regional last weekend, and nothing seemed to change Friday. 

Kilfoyl walked one batter, her first free pass of the postseason. 

OSU coach Kenny Gajewski will have a decision facing him Saturday. He can go back to his ace once again, or try to give the Wildcats a different look with someone from his bullpen, either Ivy Rosenberry or Kyra Aycock.

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals approach 2024 with plenty of expectations of improvement from their previous 4-13 record.

While other factors such as an improved roster on both sides of the ball and a full offseason with the same coaching staff are key, the full health of Kyler Murray is the biggest proponent for success this season.

We’ve seen Murray flash his talents plenty of times since becoming the No. 1 overall pick a few years ago. The Cardinals have seen the former Heisman winner win Offensive Rookie of the Year on top of multiple Pro Bowl appearances.

His major ACL injury at the end of 2022 ensured he missed at least the first half of the 2023 season, and despite numerous obstacles working against him, Murray impressed in his final few games heading into the offseason.

Now, with 2024 on the horizon, some analysts believe it’s a make-or-break year for the face of the franchise.

“Murray is an incredible talent, but it’s possible he peaked in 2021. He has limped through much of the last two seasons. There’s plenty of time and money left on his contract, but if he can’t come through again in 2024, the Cardinals could try to move on,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon.

“The obstacle: Staying healthy. When he last accomplished that to a degree, he was ascending in 2020 and 2021.”

Ultimately, Gagnon says he still does believe in the Cardinals’ passer.

“The offense is becoming less of a problem, especially with Marvin Harrison Jr. on board, and Murray is fully healthy right now. I still believe in the 26-year-old former top pick, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he got back into the Pro Bowl mix in 2024.”

While the “make or break” debate can certainly be had, the Cardinals should expect some degree of improvement. We saw Murray return for eight games and now will have a full offseason to work under Drew Petzing’s guidance with an arguably improved offense in all areas.

Murray’s impressed nearly everybody in the facility this offseason, you can read more about that here.

The state of California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom passed a law on Thursday that allows Arizona doctors to legally provide abortions in California for Arizona patients having to travel out of state for care.

Not only does the law protect access to the procedure since Arizona has almost fully banned abortion, but it also permits licensed Arizona doctors to receive temporary medical credentials in California within five days of submitting the necessary documentation to the medical boards.

Nonprofit organizations like Essential Access and Red, Wine, and Blue will cover additional associated fees.

Newsom signed the bill, which goes into effect immediately and ends on November 30, with the California Legislative Women’s Caucus. Still, Arizona’s abortion ban has not taken effect yet as the Arizona Supreme Court agreed to Attorney General Kris Mayes’ request to delay enforcement of the ban until September 26.

Axios revealed that the ban will likely never go into effect if the legislature postpones by June 28, because the repeal earlier this month will take effect 90 days after the end of the session.

Read next: Wyoming becomes first US state to ban abortion pills

Newsom’s office says this “provides a critical stopgap for Arizona patients and providers” if the ban does take effect.

Back to Roe v Wade

In response, CA Assemblyman James Gallagher who voted against the bill, took a jab at Newsom, saying it “is less about helping women than it is about Newsom’s shadow campaign for president.”

California and other “blue” states expanded abortion access protections after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade.

A recent analysis by The Guttmacher Institute shows that abortions done to patients traveling from other states more than doubled in California, going from 2,270 in 2020 to 5,160 in 2023. It added that 3% of California’s patients traveled from out of state in 2023.

Politico has previously reported that California has been struggling to build new clinics and train new providers, but the governor’s office says Arizona doctors being able to perform in California could help ease it. 

Twelve states have so far either greenlighted or are seeking to allow ballot questions for voters on abortion, including Florida, Maryland, Arkansas, Montana, and Nebraska – which all comes before the November presidential elections. 

Last month, in a video published on his social media platform, former president Donald Trump said he supported abortion for exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother while reaffirming his support for the option of in-vitro fertilization. 

In a possible attempt to attract voters from both political parties for the presidential elections, Trump did not say that he would seek a national ban on abortion if he came back to the White House. 
 
Referencing his conservative picks for the US high court, Trump also said that responsibility for the 2022 Supreme Court decision halting a federal right to the procedure falls on him.
 
In his video, he said “My view is now that we have an abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both,” adding, “And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state.”