Tulsa
Southern Miss (C-USA)
Golden Hurricane Split at Southern Miss
5/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 6, 2006
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
Hattisburg, Miss. - The University of Tulsa kept on pace for the top-seed at next week's Conference USA Tournament with a split at Southern Miss. TU won the first game 3-2, with USM taking the second game, 6-2. The split still left the Golden Hurricane with a slight lead in the C-USA standings heading in to the final day of regular season play on Sunday.
The Golden Eagles opened the first game with a pair of runs in the first inning. Senior Charity Butler opened the inning with a walk, but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Fellow senior Ashley Brenan also walked, then advanced to second on a TU fielding error on a grounder by Jessica Huerta. Sophomore Jennifer Fox's grounder allowed Brenan to score for the first run of the contest. Huerta would later score on an infield single by Ashley Davis, for a 2-0 USM lead.
The game would remain 2-0 until senior Julie Shafer opened the fourth stanza with a solo home run, her fifth homer of the season. Fellow senior Katie Torres walked, then advanced to second on a Golden Eagle fielding error on a grounder hit by sophomore Sara Dyer. After a pair of pop-ups, junior Angela Osbon doubled to right field, scoring Dyer and Torres to put TU in front.
Junior Julie Fennell made the lead stick, picking up her 11th win of the season in her 12th complete game of the year. She struck out a season-high 11 batters while scattering five hits.
Tulsa scored first in the night cap with a run in the opening inning. Freshman Brooke Smart led off the game with a double to right field. After a sacrifice bunt by Shafer, Smart would score on Torres's seventh double of the year.
TU would hold the lead until the bottom of the fourth inning. Brenan opened the USM half with a single up the middle, then scored on a TU fielding error. Huerta reached safely on the error, advancing all the way to third. She would then score the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Jennifer Fox.
Southern Miss added to its lead in the bottom of the fifth. Freshman Kristin Pilgrim singled up the middle, followed by another single by fellow freshman Nicole Chisolm. After a sacrifice bunt and a ground out, Brenan singled to left scoring the first run. Huerta doubled down the left field line to score Chisolm. Fox followed with another double that allowed Huerta and Brenan to score, making it a 6-1 contest.
The Golden Hurricane tried to mount a rally in the top of the seventh as pinch hitter Lindsey Tower doubled to center field with one out. After Smart walked with two down, she got caught in a run down that allowed Tower to score from third base. However, Smart was eventually caught to end the game.
Freshman Katie Lee was saddled with the loss, falling to 6-5 on the season. She struck out a pair of USM batters in five innings of work. Senior Maren Genow pitched the sixth inning for TU, striking out two of the three batters she faced.
The two teams will conclude their three game series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. single game.
