Saturday College Softball Roundup

Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla.--The Oklahoma Sooners continued to roll through Iowa State on Saturday, run-ruling the Cyclones, 8-0, in five innings.

A night after defeating the Cyclones 24-1, the Sooners continued to show off their offensive prowess, collecting 11 hits, including a three-run home run from Shelby Pendley to start the scoring in the first inning.

Pendley was 3-for-4 and drove in 6 runs. In addition to the home run, she hit a two-run double in the second and the game-ending RBI single in the fifth. Pendley has homered in four straight games, tying a school record that Lauren Chamberlain has accomplished three times.

Brianna Turang was 3-for-3 at the plate and scored two runs.

Michelle Gascoigne threw her eighth shutout of the season and improved to 16-2 on the year. She struck out four, walked none and gave up five hits in the win. Taylor Smith took the loss for the Cyclones.

Tulsa

EL PASO, Texas – The 25th-ranked Tulsa softball team swept its Conference USA doubleheader at UTEP, 11-1 (6 inn.) and 5-0, Saturday afternoon at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex.

Julie Kernen went 4-for-4 with six RBI in Game 1, tying the school record for RBI in a single game. Aimee Creger (20-5) picked up her 20th win of the season, striking out eight batters and allowing an unearned run on four hits. Catherine Horner went 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI, as the Golden Hurricane (36-13-1, 15-5 C-USA) totaled 16 hits in the game. Colleen Hohman (4-10) allowed eight runs and 12 hits to take the loss for the Miners (12-32, 1-18 C-USA).

Caitlin Sill (3-5) tossed a shutout in Game 2, allowing six hits with no walks and a strikeout. Jill Barrett went 4-for-4, and Samantha Cobb and Shelby Blanton each tallied three hits as TU totaled 14 hits in the game. Danielle Pearson (6-13) took the complete-game loss for UTEP.

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

In Game 1, Kernen hit a three-run double in the first inning, a one-run double in the third inning, and a two-run single in the sixth inning. The double in the first inning came with two outs and followed a single by Samantha Cobb and two walks. She then scored on a base hit by Horner.

Haley Henshaw doubled with one out in the third inning and scored on Kernen's two-base hit. Cierra Hughes hit a two-out RBI single and Cassidy Bowen hit an RBI double to make the score 7-0. Henshaw hit a one-out single in the fifth and scored on a base hit up the middle by Horner.

UTEP scored its run in the bottom of the fifth when Miraya Montiel drew a one-out walk and scored on a base hit by Kayla Oranger.

The Hurricane added three runs in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Henshaw and Kernen's two-run base hit. Cobb, who singled, and Blanton, who pinch ran after a Lacey Middlebrooks single, and Henshaw scored the three runs in the inning.

The Golden Hurricane broke a scoreless tie in Game 2 with three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Hughes, Blanton and Bowen hit consecutive one-out singles, and Hughes scored on a throwing error by the pitcher. Barrett drew a two-out walk to load the bases, Cobb singled to score Blanton, and Kernen walked, plating Bowen.

Horner doubled in the fifth inning and moved around to score on a throwing error by the catcher, making the score 4-0. TU added another run in the sixth when Cobb, who reached on a fielder's choice following a leadoff single by Barrett, scored on an error by the left fielder to extend its lead to 5-0.