College Softball Season Begins: OU Falls, OSU and TU Pick Up Wins

No. 2 Oklahoma Falls in Season Opener

Fullerton, Calif. -- The No. 2 Oklahoma softball team dropped its season-opener, 5-4, to No. 12 Kentucky in 10 innings Friday night at the Easton Tournament.

Oklahoma held a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh before Kentucky hit a pair of solo home runs to force extra innings.

The extra innings were played with the tiebreaker rule which places the last batter to record an out at second base. Neither team was able to score a run until Kentucky's Christian Stokes doubled off the third base bag in the bottom of the 10th.

Lauren Chamberlain hit a solo home run in the 3rd inning. It was the 61st of her career, tying former Sooner Jessica Shults for the most in Oklahoma and Big 12 history.

Shelby Pendley and Georgia Casey also homered for OU.

Kelsey Stevens made her Sooners debut after transferring from Stanford in July. She got the start and pitched 6.0 innings with 6 hits allowed, 3 runs (all earned), 1 walk and 5 strikeouts.

Cowgirls Open Season with two wins at Tiger Classic

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Oklahoma State softball team opened the 2014 season with two victories at the Tiger Classic here Thursday. The Cowgirls defeated Central Arkansas 3-0 and Southern Illinois Edwardsville 2-1 in eight innings.

In game one against The UCA Bears, OSU opened the scoring in the top of the third inning. Senior Shannon Kaufman led the inning off with a single to the left side of the infield and then advanced to second on the next at-bat when Shelby Davis hit a bunt single to the pitcher. Kaufman then scored on an RBI single down the left field line by senior Ari Morrison, who advanced to second on the throw. Two batters later, with Davis on third base, sophomore Tiffany Mikkelson scored Davis on a sacrifice fly to centerfield to give OSU a 2-0 lead.

The Cowgirls (2-0) would add the final run of the game in the top of the seventh when pinch runner Michaela Patton scored on a sacrifice fly to leftfield.

Offensively, the Cowgirls had six hits and Davis was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Morrison, Mikkelson, Kaufman and freshman Miranda Cavin all had one hit for OSU.

In the circle, senior Simone Freeman (2-0) took the ball to start the first game of the season. She pitched seven innings, allowing only three hits, all singles, while striking out 10 without issuing a walk.

In game two against SIUE, the Cougars struck first in the top of the sixth inning when a two-base error by Davis allowed Alex McDavid to score from second for a 1-0 lead.

The Cowgirls didn't back down. In the bottom of the seventh, Mikkelson led off the inning with a double to right center. Then with two out and a full count, sophomore Danielle Riddle, in her first at-bat of the season, singled to centerfield, scoring Mikkelson and tying the game at 1-1.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Cavin advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kaufman. The next batter, Davis, crushed a double to center field, scoring Cavin to win the game 2-1.

Offensively, the Cowgirls had five hits in the game, led once again by Davis who when 2-for-4 with an RBI. Mikkelson, Riddle and senior Tarah Ettinger all had one hit apiece.

In the circle, freshman Whitney Whitehorn got the start for OSU. She pitched five innings, allowing no runs on four hits and striking out two. Freeman took over in the top of the sixth and gave up one run on one hit and struck out five. Freeman picked up her second win on the season.

The Cowgirls return to action at the Tiger Classic tomorrow afternoon when they take on Murray State at 3 p.m. and No. 17 LSU at 5 p.m.

Tulsa Softball Opens with Two Wins at FAU Kick-Off Classic

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Tulsa softball team opened the 2014 season with wins over St. John's, 5-1, and Ohio State, 1-0 (8 inn.) Friday at the FAU Kick-Off Classic at FAU Softball Stadium.

TU head coach John Bargfeldt earned his 300th career victory, and is now 301-160-1 in his ninth season at the helm of the Golden Hurricane.

Senior second baseman Shelby Blanton went 4-for-8 on the day, while senior shortstop Jill Barrett drove in two runs with three hits in the two games for the Hurricane (2-0).

Sophomore Caitlin Sill (1-0) earned the victory in Game 1, tossing 6.0 innings with seven strikeouts and four hits allowed. Junior Bailey Erwin (1-0) picked up the victory in Game 2, working the eighth inning, and striking out one batter and allowing one hit.

Against St. John's, Tulsa put a run on the board in first inning when junior first baseman Julie Kernen singled and scored an unearned run. The Hurricane added three runs in the top of the second, as Blanton, freshman third baseman Maggie Withee and senior center fielder Cierra Hughes scored runs. Barrett and Kernen earned RBI in the inning.

TU added a run in the seventh when Hughes drove home Blanton with a base hit. The Red Storm scored its run on a home run in the third inning. Erwin worked the seventh inning, striking out three batters.

Tulsa and Ohio State played seven scoreless innings, forcing the International Tiebreaker rule into effect in the eighth frame. Aimee Creger started and tossed seven shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out six batters.

The Buckeyes bunted their runner to third in the eighth inning, but Erwin coaxed a strikeout and groundout to end the inning. Maggie Withee started on second base for Tulsa in the bottom of the eighth, and moved to third when Maddie Withee laid down a sacrifice bunt. Barrett then drove a two-out single through the left side, scoring Maggie Withee for the winning run.

The Golden Hurricane will play twice Saturday, facing No. 18 Louisville at 3 p.m., and Florida Atlantic at 7 p.m.