photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

KU senior Olivia Bruno (23) runs into a wall of her teammates surrounding home plate on Sunday, April 27, 2025, during the Jayhawks' game against Oklahoma State at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence.

Olivia Bruno knew what was coming.

Down in the count against Oklahoma State pitcher Ruby Meylan in the bottom of the sixth inning at Arrocha Ballpark Sunday afternoon, Bruno knew that Meylan would likely try to get her out with a rise ball, a weapon Meylan had been using effectively against Kansas all game long.

But this time, Bruno caught up with the pitch and launched it well over the left field fence for a three-run homer, erasing Oklahoma State’s 1-0 lead and helping to lift Kansas to a 3-2 win over the 23rd-ranked Cowgirls in the finale of a three-game series.

“I was looking for anything high,” said Bruno, who now has a team-leading 10 homers and 38 RBIs. “This is the third game I’ve seen her and she’s been getting me out with stuff high in the zone. She’d been throwing me that way the whole game, so when I got down 1-2, I knew what was coming.”

The victory for Kansas (21-24, 6-15) is the Jayhawks’ first home conference win of the season and their first victory over a ranked opponent since beating then No. 19/13 Baylor, 1-0, on March 16, 2024. The win is also the first for KU over Oklahoma State since an 8-7 victory in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament in May 2023.

“This whole season, we’ve been telling ourselves that it’s about climbing the mountain,” Kansas senior pitcher Katie Brooks said. “We’ve just kept battling and this time, we got one. Hopefully, this will let us get over the bump.”

Oklahoma State (29-17, 10-9) held a 1-0 lead after an RBI single by Tia Warsop in the top of the second, but Brooks settled down from there, facing the minimum in the third through sixth innings and benefiting from two double plays turned behind her.

“I just kept focusing on the batter in front of me and letting my defense work,” said Brooks (7-8), who earned the win after allowing two runs on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks in pitching her fourth complete game of the season. “I just kept trying to hit my spots and trusting my defense behind me.”

After getting two hits and four baserunners total in the first five innings, Kansas broke through against Meylan in the bottom of the sixth. Presley Limbaugh led off with a single, then Aynslee Linduff was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second with no outs.

Following a strikeout and with runners still at first and second, Bruno stepped to the plate. After getting down in the count to Meylan, Bruno took Meylan’s 1-2 pitch and crushed it over the flagpoles behind the left field fence, giving Kansas a 3-1 advantage.

“It feels good (to win the game),” said Bruno. “We all put in so much work. We’ve been grinding and now we’re going to try and take this momentum and do something with it.”

Oklahoma State didn’t go quietly in the seventh, though. A pair of singles – including Warsop’s second RBI hit of the day – plated a run to make it 3-2 and the Cowgirls had the tying run at second with two outs, but Brooks induced a lineout to end the game and give the Jayhawks the win.

Along with Bruno’s homer, Limbaugh, Hailey Cripe, Campbell Bagshaw, and Anna Soles each had a hit for the Jayhawks in the win.

Meylan (19-7) – who had gotten the win for Oklahoma State in each of the first two games of the series – took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts and two hit batters in 5 1/3 innings of work. Warsop finished 2-for-3 with her two RBIs and Claire Timm also was 2-for-3 for the Cowgirls in the loss.

Kansas now hits the road Wednesday for its final nonconference game of the season, traveling to Wichita State (26-22-1). First pitch at Wilkins Softball Stadium is set for 6 p.m. Wichita State won the first meeting this season, 7-3, on March 12 at Arrocha Ballpark.

Following the Wichita State game, the Jayhawks close out the regular season next weekend with a three-game home conference series against UCF (29-21-1, 9-12), starting with a 5 p.m. game on Friday night.

“This gives us a lot of confidence and momentum going into this last week of the regular season,” Kansas head coach Jennifer McFalls said. “This is a team that just needs to believe in itself. We’ve had a lot of tough breaks this season, but we can still do a lot of damage and accomplish a lot if they’ll keep fighting and believe in themselves.”

What makes the series against the Knights a little more intriguing is that Kansas and UCF could face each other again in the first round of the Big 12 Conference tournament, which gets under way on May 7 at OGE Field at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. Currently, UCF sits eighth in the Big 12 standings with its 9-12 conference record, while Kansas is ninth at 6-15, and if the two stay in the same spots in the standings, they’d play again in the opening round, for a total of four times in a span of six days.