Tulsa
Southwest Missouri State (2)
Softball Extends Win Streak to 11 with Sweep of SMS
4/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 21, 2004
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
Springfield, Mo. - The University of Tulsa softball picked up two non-conference wins and avenged an earlier loss by defeating Southwest Missouri State, 4-0 and 2-0, at the SMS Softball Field in Springfield, Mo. A crowd of 244 people witnessed the Golden Hurricane avenge a one-run loss to the Bears in the Championship game of the Embassy Suites-Tulsa Invitational earlier this season.
Senior Heather Hiar was able to continue TU's record setting season, but recording her 66th hit of the season and 15th double of the year. Going into the contest the Cypress, Calif., native was tied with former Golden Hurricane Angela Fuller with 65 hits on the year for most in a season ever. She was also tied with TU alums Brandi McGuire and Germaine Fairchild for the most doubles in a season. Hiar now sits just one hit shy of the school record for hits in a career. The record is 177 hits set by Fuller; Hiar has 176 during her TU tenure.
The Hurricane also set another team record during the twin bill. With six walks on the season, TU surpassed last season's walk total of 128 for the most in a single-season in school history. Tulsa currently has 133 walks on the year.
In the first game of the evening, TU broke open a scoreless game with a pair of runs in the third inning. Junior Stacey Walkingstick singled to center field with two outs. She would score on sophomore Katie Torres's 14th homerun of the season.
SMS posted a hit in each of the first three innings, but was unable to advance a runner past second base all night. Junior Ami Day struck out three Bear hitters to pick up her 10th victory of the season, becoming the first TU pitcher to record double-figure victories for three consecutive years. Day also posted her fifth shutout of the season.
Tulsa added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning. Junior Holly Reynolds singled with one out to spark the Hurricane. Hiar doubled to left center to score Reynolds. Following a walk by Torres, sophomore Kelly Miller extended her hitting streak to 10 games with a single to score Hiar from second base.
Reynolds snapped a 1-for-27 slump over the last 14 games by recording two hits, as she and Hiar led the Hurricane attack with a pair of hits. With Torres's home run, Tulsa has hit at least one home run in 29 games with a 26-3 record in those contests.
Continuing the scoring in pairs routine, the Hurricane posted two runs in the fourth inning of the nightcap. The game was a pitching duel for the first three innings, as neither team could advance a runner past second base. In the fourth inning, Miller walked to open the inning. She advanced to second on a single by fellow sophomore Julie Shafer. The duo would score on a two-out single by freshman Angela Osbon.
Two runs was all the support freshman Julie Fennell would need. The Valliant, Okla., native recorded 13 consecutive outs to start the game as SMS posted its first hit with a one-out double in the fourth inning. The Bears did get one more hit in the sixth inning, however that would be the last one. Fennell struck out eight SMS hitters while not giving up a walk in her fourth shut out of the season.
Tulsa improves to 40-15 on the season, while the Bears fall to 23-24. The Golden Hurricane will continue its road swing by returning to Western Athletic Conference play on Saturday at Louisiana Tech. The doubleheader in Ruston, La., is schedule to begin at 1 p.m.
