Meylan Masters the Moment — No. 19 OSU Upends No. 1 Oklahoma 6-4

OKLAHOMA CITY — Titan versus surging force, precisely how Ruby Meylan said she envisioned the game coming down to.

Meylan, Oklahoma State's titan, clashing with Oklahoma's surging force — freshman catcher Kendall Wells. The Cowgirls' senior ace facing off against college softball's home run leader. All elements that appropriately compiled a marquee contest within the sport.

In the top of the seventh, Meylan threw a 3-2 rise ball to Wells, striking her out and jolting OSU fans present into a frenzy. It wasn't the game's final out, but it stood as a defining moment in the No. 19 Cowgirls' 6-4 win against top-ranked Oklahoma on Wednesday at Devon Park.

Meylan has spoken all season of how emotional big games can make her. She has often made light of how she might have let such moments get the best of her a season ago.

"The last innings is always the toughest for me," Meylan said. "I don't know what it is. It's almost like I'm trying to get the game over before the game is actually over. I was talking to our sports psychologist before (the bottom of the fourth) and I'm like, 'It's the fourth inning right now and it's tied 0-0."

Oklahoma State players storm the mound after the Cowgirls defeated top-ranked Oklahoma 6-4 on Wednesday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. The win was OSU's first against a top-ranked team since May 14, 2022. – Photo by Luke Tolbert

Not this season.

Throughout the offseason, Meylan worked with OSU coach Kenny Gajewski on perfecting her mental game. Fine-tuning her emotions and working to master her focus in high-leverage moments to prevent such disasters from surfacing late in games.

But the Sooners (40-5, 13-2 SEC) nearly ignited the former. OSU led 5-2 in the top of the sixth before Abby Dayton launched a two-out, two-RBI double off the left field wall — a ball that nearly cleared for a three-run homer — cutting the lead to one.

Still, Meylan didn't falter.

She threw 133 pitches, striking out nine while allowing just seven hits, one walk**,** and four runs in her 10th complete game this season. She stifled a potent OU lineup for most of the night — one that boasted eight hitters batting over .400 heading in — with her steady mixture of rise and drop ball.

Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso walks the field during the Sooners' 6-4 loss to No. 19 Oklahoma State on Wednesday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. – Photo by Luke Tolbert

"She throws hard," Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso said. "But we were chasing pitches (all night), and that's what she's good at — throwing balls outside of the zone to make you swing at them. It's tough to square her up. She was on one today. You could see that she was ready for this game and that's what competitors do — they step up in big games. Which is exactly what she did."

Thus, her offseason work with Gajewski came in handy Wednesday. Especially against one of college softball's premier hitters in Wells, who had hit a go-ahead two-run homer off Meylan in the top of the third.

One at-bat later, Meylan drew a groundout from Sooners' shortstop Gabbie Garcia, recording the game's last out. Moments after Cowgirls' first baseman Lexi McDonald collected the throw from shortstop Aubrey Jones, pure elation erupted from OSU's dugout. McDonald spiked the ball on the infield dirt, sparking a mound storm from the Cowgirls (28-11, 9-6 Big 12).

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Don't Miss a Game

Despite a pivotal home series against No. 16 Arizona (30-11, 11-4 Big 12) this weekend, Gajewski said he gave no thought to Meylan's workload.

Why? Because such moments, Gajewski said, are Meylan's identity. They have defined her throughout her college softball career, specifically in her two-year stint at OSU. And above all else, they personify why Gajewski exudes immense confidence in her as the team's ace.

Oklahoma State head coach Kenny Gajewski watches from the field during the Cowgirls' 6-4 win against top-ranked Oklahoma on Wednesday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. – Photo by Luke Tolbert

"Ruby is the ace of the [pitching] staff, and if I didn't give her the ball here today, I don't know that I would have made the trip down here," Gajewski said. "There was not even a thought for what we would do, and there won't be a thought where we go [this weekend against Arizona]. It's who we are, and she wants the ball."

Such poise didn't merely define Meylan's dominance in the circle — it shaped the tone for her team as a whole. In a game flooded with momentum swings and intensity so often tethered to marquee showdowns as such, the Cowgirls leaned into the steadiness of their ace. And as pressure mounted in the final innings, that belief became the difference. It turned what could have been another late-game unraveling into a statement victory, giving OSU its first win against a top-ranked team since its win against OU in the Big 12 Tournament Championship on May 14, 2022.

"It's just about reminding myself that it's just softball," Meylan said. "It doesn't matter who's in the box, who's watching the game on the TV station that we're on — executed pitches beat really good hitters all the time.

"I think I've gotten to a point this year — which is super cool, I've never felt it in my career — of being able to only care about executing the next pitch. And I think it's shown."