STILLWATER — Rachel Becker came to Oklahoma State to play in big moments, and the super-senior second baseman delivered in the biggest of the year.

Becker singled to center field in the top of the seventh inning, scoring Tallen Edwards and pinch-runner Haidyn Sokoloski, sparking a Cowgirl rally for a 5-2 win over Nebraska and a Stillwater Regional championship on Sunday at Cowgirl Stadium.

“That’s just something I feel like I’ve been waiting for my whole career,” said Becker, who transferred to OSU after four stellar seasons at Purdue. “My heart was beating a little bit. I was feeling it. But I knew if I saw my pitch, I was gonna swing hard at it. I was just super-happy that I was aggressive in that situation, because that was my mindset going into it.

“Credit to my teammates for getting on base in front of me. That was awesome.”

Sixth-seeded OSU (44-14) entered the top of the seventh trailing 2-1, but scored four runs to pull away for its fourth straight regional championship. The Cowgirls will host unseeded Oregon in next week’s best-of-three Stillwater Super Regional after Oregon upset 11th-seeded Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional to advance.

More: 64 things to know about the NCAA softball tournament before the 64-team field starts Friday

After coming into the postseason having lost 11 of 13 games, the Cowgirls looked rejuvenated in the regional, despite a slow offensive start on Sunday.

Edwards, OSU’s freshman left fielder, had driven in the team’s only run prior to the seventh with a fourth-inning double. She started the rally with a one-out single down the left field line. Pinch-hitter Katie Lott, a freshman who was making her first plate appearance of the postseason, singled to right field and Megan Bloodworth walked to load the bases in front of Becker.

Nebraska called timeout to discuss strategy, which gave Becker and Cowgirl coach Kenny Gajewski time to think about the looming situation.

“I don’t think I could’ve drawn this up any better than this, for this kid to be in that moment, to just be her,” Gajewski said. “When they called time, I just gave her a little encouragement and she just looked like the Rachel I see every day. I was like, ‘We’re in good shape here.’”

Becker, who came into the game with a team-best .455 batting average, settled into her approach and was ready when the first pitch came through the zone.

“I felt pretty confident, because I had been squaring up balls all weekend,” said Becker, who had a hit in each game of the regional, the first NCAA Tournament appearance of her career. “I was like, if I see it, I’m just gonna go for it. I’m not gonna play more reserved and try to get walked. If I see it, I’m gonna swing hard at it.

“The energy in the stadium, especially in the top of the seventh, it was amazing.”

More: 'A softball rat': How Chyenne Factor's drive has help fuel Oklahoma State Cowgirls program

Becker’s single gave the Cowgirls a 3-2 lead. Then OSU scored another on an infield error, and the final run came in on Miceala Wark’s groundout.

OSU relief pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl earned the win, pitching the final 2 ⅔ innings. After allowing a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh, Kilfoyl induced a chopper to shortstop where Kiley Naomi fielded the ball, stepped on second base and threw to first for the double play to end the game and ignite the championship celebration.

Nebraska piled up a few hits early without much strong contact off starting pitcher Kelly Maxwell. Meanwhile, the OSU hitters were putting on a line-drive show, but couldn’t get many to fall in.

That changed in the top of the fourth when super-senior designated player Morgyn Wynne singled with two outs and came in to score on a double by Edwards to the left-center field gap.

Between Edwards, Wark and Lott, the Cowgirls got crucial hits from their freshmen all weekend. Wark had three hits and four RBIs in the regional, including her 10th home run of the season. Edwards had two multi-hit games with a pair of doubles and two RBIs in the regional.

“This freshman class is fearless,” Gajewski said. “It’s really cool to see.”

Maxwell had scattered seven hits through four-plus innings, but issued a one-out walk before Courtney Wallace singled — her third of four hits on the day — to put runners on the corners.

More: The transfer portal isn't all bad. Just ask Oklahoma State softball's Rachel Becker.

At that point, OSU went to its bullpen, bringing in Kilfoyl, who fired a wild pitch on her first throw, letting a run score. After a groundout moved Wallace to third, another wild pitch allowed her to score for a 2-1 Cornhusker lead.

Maxwell was charged with both runs, allowing seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts through 4 ⅓ innings pitched. Kilfoyl allowed two hits and hit one batter, striking out two.

After struggling with walks and errors in recent losses, the Cowgirls had three walks and no errors in the three regional games.

The Cowgirls will host the super-regional for the third straight year, having defeated Texas and Clemson each of the past two seasons. OSU and Oregon met once this year, with OSU winning 3-0 in the season opener on Feb. 10 at the Puerto Vallarta Challenge in Mexico.

Gajewski downplayed the difficulties his team faced over the last few weeks of the regular season, but admitted the strong all-around performance in the regional provided a lift.

“You guys were making more of we needed to get it going again, I think,” Gajewski told the media. “I felt good inside. I did. But it does feel good. I feel good for these guys.

“To see their success and failures is why I coach. That’s probably why I get emotional when I talk about all these kids, because they all sacrifice a lot. To see them experience this type of stuff is why we got into coaching. I wish they didn’t make it so hard at times, but that’s part of the fun, too. It’s part of that journey.”

More: Tramel's ScissorTales: Oklahoma State softball has something that not even Alabama can afford

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State softball beats Nebraska to reach NCAA Super Regional