Tulsa
21 Southern Miss. (UTA-Isuzu Classic)
Softball Opens Season in UTA/Izusu Classic
2/12/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 10, 2001
Grand Prairie, Texas - The Golden Hurricane certainly did not start the season off the way it had hoped, losing all three games of pool play in the 2001 UTA/Izusu Classic in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Tulsa opened the season against #21 Southern Mississippi, a participant in last season's College World Series. TU was held to one hit, an infield hit by senior Kari Curtis, and only reached base three other times during the contest. Junior Jenny Magill did record five strikeouts, while allowing only three earned runs in five innings of work.
The second game of the day went a little better for TU, as the Hurricane stretched #33 Texas A&M to extra innings before falling 4-3. Tulsa tied the game at 1-1 in the sixth, when freshman Heather Hiar scored on junior Jessie Smith's sacrifice fly. The Hurricane again tied the contest at 3-3, this time using the long ball. Sophomore Danielle Olsen and senior Ann Mesman hit back-to-back home runs to even the score in the top of the seventh. Neither team could produce a run in the first two extra innings. In the 10th, TU stranded their runner at third base. The Aggies however took advantage of timely hitting to produce the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th.
A tired squad took the field for the third game of the day. After preceding games going extra innings, the Hurricane started its final game of the day three hours after the scheduled time and 12 hours after its first game of the day. Olsen tried to keep TU in the game, going 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI off another solo home run. However Northwestern State (La.) proved to be too quick for the Hurricane. The Demons recorded eight stolen bases in eight attempts and six extra base hits in a 7-3 victory.
Olsen provided the big bat for Tulsa on the day with all three of her hits being for extra bases (a double and two home runs). Defensively, Mesman led the way with 16 putouts and five assists to go along with no errors.
