Friday College Softball Roundup

Tulsa continued to win big, sweeping a doubleheader against UTSA, while OU and OSU both dropped home Big 12 contests. 

Friday, April 18th 2014, 10:45 pm

By: News 9


Big Innings Lead No. 16 Tulsa to Doubleheader Win at UTSA

SAN ANTONIO – The big inning was once again the name of the game for the 16th-ranked Tulsa softball team in its Conference USA doubleheader sweep at UTSA Friday afternoon at Roadrunner Field. The Golden Hurricane won Game 1, 4-0, and Game 2, 12-11.

Catherine Horner hit a three-run home run as part of a four-run fourth inning, and Aimee Creger (20-1) pitched a two-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts to pace the Hurricane in the series opener.

Tulsa (40-5, 14-2 C-USA) erased two six-run deficits in Game 2, using an eight-run seventh inning to take a 12-11 Game 2 win. TU trailed 6-0 and 9-3, but scored a run in the sixth inning and eight in the seventh to go ahead 12-9, and held on for the victory. Bailey Erwin (11-2) pitched 3.2 innings and earned the win in relief, while Creger picked up her first save of the season. Chelsea Parker (3-6), the third UTSA pitcher in the game, took the loss.

The Golden Hurricane picked up its 40th win for the fourth straight season. This is seventh time in program history TU has won 40 games, and the fastest to 40 wins, taking just 45 games.

Down 9-4 in the seventh, Tulsa got an RBI single from Horner, a two-run single by Jill Barrett, a three-run home run by Erica Sampson and a two-run homer by Julie Kernen to take a 12-9 lead.

Cierra Hughes started the frame with a bunt single, moved around to third on a throwing error by the pitcher, and scored on Horner's base hit to left. Maggie Withee and Haley Henshaw loaded the bases with back-to-back singles, leading to Barrett's two-run hit through the right side. Following a fly out, Sampson cleared the bases with her ninth homer of the season to put the Hurricane ahead 10-9. Kaitlin Allen followed with a pinch-hit double to left center, and Kernen launched her sixth home run to make the score 12-9.

"We just had really solid at bats in that last inning. The momentum started building," Tulsa coach John Bargfeldt said. "The key was obviously the (Sampson) home run that gave us the lead. But then with a one-run lead, Kaitlin Allen hit a double into the gap and Julie hit a hit two-run home run. We just kept it going, had a lot of hustle and enthusiasm."

The extra two runs proved to be vital, as UTSA reduced the lead to one run with a two-run homer by Taylor Oberg with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Creger came in and struck out the final to batters to close the game.

"It was good to get a big comeback win, so now the team can remember that. If we get down big again, they know we have a good lineup all the way through, 1-9, we can just keep going," said Bargfeldt.

UTSA took a 6-0 lead with three runs in each of the first two innings. Tulsa scored three in the top of the third, but the Roadrunners extended the lead back to 9-3 with three runs in the bottom half of the frame.

In the bottom of the first inning, Jori Fox hit an RBI double and Vivian Tijerina followed with a two-run home run to make the score 3-0. In the second, Megan Low hit a three-run home run to give the Roadrunners a 6-0 advantage.

The Hurricane closed the gap to 6-3 in the top of the fourth with an RBI single by Hughes and bases-loaded walks by Horner and Withee. Shelby Blanton led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch and Sampson singled to left. Kernen walked to load the bases, setting up the scoring sequence.

UTSA scored three unearned runs in the third inning. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases with one out, and a two-out throwing error allowed two runs to score. A wild pitch allowed the third run to cross the plate, making the score 9-3.

Tulsa got a run back in the sixth inning on a bases-loaded walk by Blanton. Withee started with a single up the middle and Henshaw reached on an all-safe fielder's choice. Barrett loaded the bases with a bunt single.

Game 1: Tulsa 4, UTSA 0

Tulsa scored four runs in the fourth inning, fueled by a three-run home run by Catherine Horner, and Aimee Creger pitched a two-hit shutout to lead the Golden Hurricane past UTSA 4-0.

Creger struck out 11 batters and walked three to pick up her seventh shutout of the year, and her third career 20-win season. Kacy Freeze (10-11) struck out five and took the complete-game loss for the Roadrunners.

Erica Sampson was hit by a pitch to lead off the fourth inning, and Jill Roye singled to right field. Julie Kernen drove home Sampson with a base hit to right, and after a fly out, Horner launched her fourth homer of the season to left field to give the Hurricane a 4-0 lead.

"Aimee did an outstanding job keeping them at bay until we could put some runs on the board," Bargfeldt said. "She finished it off without much threat, and I think she got stronger as the game went on."

All three UTSA walks were drawn in the second and third innings, while both Roadrunner hits came in the fifth inning. UTSA loaded the bases with two out in the second stanza, and had runners at first and second with two out in the fifth, but outside of those innings did not put a runner into scoring position. Creger retired the final seven batters of the game to complete the shutout.

The series finale is at 1 p.m. Saturday.

 

Sooners Crushed In Game Two By Texas

NORMAN, Okla. – After No. 12 Oklahoma (33-10, 10-2) captured game one Thursday night, Texas (27-17, 7-2) evened the series on Friday with a 9-0, six-inning victory. Despite the loss, the Sooners remain in first place in the Big 12 with a 1.5 game lead on the Longhorns.

The run-rule loss was the first suffered by the Sooners since March 28, 2009, when Texas defeated OU, 15-6. In that span, OU recorded 85 run-rule wins of its own.

Georgia Casey doubled for one of the four hits the Sooners recorded. Kady Self, Brittany Williams and Whitney Ellis all added singles.

Shelby Pendley drew a pair of walks to extend her on-base streak to 27 games.

Kelsey Stevens suffered the loss to snap a streak of nine straight starts with a win.

The Sooners' best scoring chance came in the first inning as they loaded the bases with no outs, but they were unable to plate a run.

 

Cowgirls Fall to No. 14 Baylor, 10-2

STILLWATER — Three home runs, including two by Jordan Strickland, were too much for Oklahoma State to overcome as the Cowgirls fell to No. 14 Baylor 10-2 Friday evening in Big 12 softball action.

The Bears got on the scoreboard first in the top of the second inning when Holly Holl scored on a base hit by Linsey Hayes. Baylor blew the game wide open in the third, scoring six runs on five hits, including a grand slam by Strickland and a two-run home run by Sarah Smith.

OSU cut into the deficit in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run home run by Tarah Ettinger, her seventh round-tripper of the season. Those were the only two runs the Cowgirls could muster off BU starter Heather Stearns, who improved to 11-2 on the season.

The run rule was in effect after the Bears scored three more in the top of the sixth on a three-run bomb by Strickland. The junior shortstop went 3-for-4 with the two homers and collected seven runs batted in. OSU failed to score in the bottom of the sixth, thus ending the game.

Whitney Whitehorn threw all six innings for Oklahoma State, with four of the 10 runs being unearned. She fell to 4-7 on the year.

Oklahoma State (24-19 overall, 3-8 Big 12) will host the Bears (31-10, 5-4) in the final contest of the three-game series on Saturday at noon. The game is being advertised as Pink Day, where fans can bid on the Cowgirls' specially designed pink jerseys with all proceeds being donated to Coaches vs. Cancer.

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