Tulsa
Oklahoma State
Softball Falls To Cowgirls in Extra Innings
3/26/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 26, 2003
Stillwater, Okla. - The University of Tulsa softball team had its chances, including a 4-2 lead heading into the seventh inning, against No. 18-ranked Oklahoma State. However, the Cowgirls were able to fight back and win a three-hour marathon with the Golden Hurricane, 6-5 in 11 innings. A crowd of 462 witnessed the match-up at Cowgirl field in Stillwater, Okla.
After loading the bases in the first inning, without scoring, the Golden Hurricane scored first with two runs in the top of the second inning. Freshman Julie Shafer hit a one-out double down the left field line to get TU's bats started. She would score on junior Heather Hiar's follow-up single. After Hiar stole second, she scored on senior Danielle Olsen's second single of the game.
The score remained 2-0, in favor of TU, until OSU scored a run in the bottom of the fifth. A one out double by Jade Lindly gave the Cowgirls only their second base runner on second base. Lindly scored on a two-out double by Stephanie Nicholson.
Tulsa picked up two more runs in the top of the sixth. Freshman Katie Torres led off the inning with a walk. Senior Ashlea Montgomery ran for Torres at first base. Montgomery advanced to third on a two-out bunt single by Shafer. Shafer laid a bunt down the first base line. OSU first baseman Stephanie Hodges cleanly fielded the ball, however Calli Behmer did not cover first on the play, forcing Hodges to delay her throw. On the next pitch, the Hurricane executed a double steal, with Shafer swiping second base. Montgomery stole home on the throw to second. The Cowgirls cut the deficit to 4-2 with a run in the bottom of the stanza.
TU kept the 4-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, when OSU mounted a comeback. OSU's Afton Burris led off the inning with a single to right center., followed by a single by Nicholson to right field, moving Burris to third. Sophomore Ami Day relieved freshman Maren Genow and promtly recorded a gound out. After letting Burris score on a wild pitch, TU thought it had a second out on a strikeout. However OSU's Lisa Carey, was called back to the batter's box after she headed back to the dugout thinking she was out on a called third strike. Ryan Realmuto then hit a sacrifice fly to right field, that would have been the game ending out, but was instead the game-tying score.
The two teams then went scoreless for the next two innings. With the top of the 10th inning, came the international tie-breaker, as a runner was placed at second base. Both teams were able to plate a run in the 10th sending the game into the 11th.
Tulsa was unable to advance the base runner as OSU's Lauren Bay recorded her 17th, 18th and 19th strikeouts of the game, in relief. The Cowgirls successfully sacrifice their runner to open the bottom of the inning. Following a strikeout, Lindly again provided some heroics with a literal broken-bat single. With her blooper landing just over the third baseman and just in front of the leftfielder, the top half of Lindly's bat nearly hit Bay trotting in from third with the winning run.
Tulsa, now 21-13 on the season, will conclude the week in Kansas City, Mo., with a doubleheader at UMKC on Saturday, Mar. 29. The Golden Hurricane will return to the friendly confines of the Donna J. Hardesy Complex on April 2 for a doubleheader with Southwest Missouri State.
