Arizona
Oklahoma State softball shuts out Arizona in Game 1 of NCAA Tournament super regional
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.
Cardinals’ Burch shares what he learned as a rookie in 2025
Arizona Cardinals second-year player Jordan Burch says his defensive line teammates have formed a bond heading into the 2026 NFL season.
Last year in early July, Cardinals edge rusher Jordan Burch was a rookie third-round draft pick out of Oregon who was looking forward to his first NFL training camp and eventual first season.
That rookie year is behind him now, and Burch has identified what he needs to improve on heading into his second season. He said he now knows what to expect and look for, and after talking with outside linebackers coach Matt Feeney, Burch built an offseason plan with which he was comfortable.
“I don’t think anything was like a surprise,” Burch said on Thursday, July 9, at the Cardinals’ Tempe headquarters. “I kind of know what to prep for, so this offseason I can look at my old plays, and then I can call my coach and tell him, from last year to this year, what does he want to see on the field.”
Burch seeks to improve his pass rush. He played in all 17 games last season and had five solo tackles with a sack, and also broke up three passes.
Much of his position was dropping into pass coverage, so Burch looks to recognize pass catchers’ routes better in 2026. He gets help from veteran Josh Sweat, who is there to answer questions about the position they share.
“Every week, every game going against somebody good,” Burch said about takeaways from last season. “The talent of the quarterbacks. We’re playing the Rams, how quickly they get the ball out.”
Burch looks forward to building a stronger bond with his teammates, having invited some of them for dinner or to watch TV. He said he was happy with his progress as a player throughout last season.
The Cardinals open training camp Wednesday, July 22, at State Farm Stadium. It’s a week earlier than most teams because Arizona plays the Carolina Panthers in the Aug. 6 Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald will be among those inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Aug. 8.
A new study has ranked Arizona as one of the worst states to move to for two years in a row, largely due to what it calls a poor quality of life.
The study conducted by Consumer Affairs analyzed the best states to move to in the United States, putting Arizona at the bottom of the list.
Before Arizonans get too defensive about the Grand Canyon State, Consumer Affairs used factors such as affordability, safety, economic strength and education to measure each state, leaving out factors like entertainment, retirement benefits and other considerations that may be important to people living here.
Popular states such as California and New York also landed at the bottom of the list due to their lack of affordability, even though they both have some of the best health care and education in the nation, Consumer Affairs noted.
Here’s why the study says you shouldn’t move to Arizona. Do you agree?
Why you shouldn’t move to Arizona
Arizona ranked No. 10 out of the worst states to move to, scoring especially poorly in quality of life.
Quality of life was measured by the state’s Social Progress Index, average air quality, weather, environmental protection and number of national parks. Due to Arizona’s extreme summers and Phoenix’s consistently poor air quality, it’s easy to see why Arizona ranked No. 44 in quality of life out of 50 states, even though the Grand Canyon is one of the most popular national parks in the nation.
However, Arizona also ranked poorly in other categories, sitting at No. 42 in health care and education, No. 41 in safety and No. 34 in affordability out of 50 states.
There was one category Arizona did impressively well in, ranking No. 5 in economic strength even as one of the youngest states in the country. Still, Arizona’s economic power wasn’t enough to boost its ranking.
Top 10 worst states to move to
Arizona wasn’t alone; some of the biggest states in the country were also considered the worst states to move to in 2026.
- New Mexico
- Louisiana
- California
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Nevada
- Alaska
- Mississippi
- Oregon
- Arizona
Top 10 best states to move to
- Utah
- New Hampshire
- Idaho
- Minnesota
- Massachusetts
- Maine
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- Iowa
- South Dakota
PHOENIX — Arizona’s ACA marketplace enrollment fell from 363,000 to just over 255,000 in a single year — a nearly 30% decline and the third-largest annual drop in the country.
Rising premiums and expired tax credits are driving the trend, with the average benchmark plan premium in Arizona now at $532 — up 30% from 2025.
In the player above, ABC15 Data Analyst Garrett Archer takes a look inside the numbers on how healthcare premiums are impacting health insurance enrollment.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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