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Tulsa
UTEP (DH)
Golden Hurricane Split at UTEP
5/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 6, 2007
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
El Paso, Texas - The University of Tulsa softball team again opened a three-game series with a slow start, leading to a split of a doubleheader at the Helen of Troy Softball Complex against UTEP on Saturday. A crowd of 406 witnessed the host Miners take a 4-3 extra inning win in the first game. Tulsa came back for a 9-6 victory in the nightcap.
The Miners used a pair of home runs to take a 3-0 lead. UTEP led off the third inning with a solo shot before getting a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth.
Tulsa scored single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to tie the score at 3-3. Sophomore Brooke Smart led off the fifth inning with a walk, then advanced to second on a groundout. Junior Lindsey Tower pinch ran for freshman Jackie Lawrence reached on an error that allowed Smart to score.
In the sixth inning, junior Sara Dyer was hit by a pitch with one out. Following a walk drawn by senior Angela Osbon and a grounder from freshman Vanessa Vice, Dyer was at third base. She would score on a wild pitch to make the score 3-2.
Sophomore Stephanie Chomicki singled to left to open the seventh inning. After a pair of outs, freshman Lauren Lindsay drew a walk. Senior Kelli McGlasson then reached on the fourth UTEP error of the game, allowing Chomicki to score the tying run.
The Miners did record a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh, however could not advance the runner for the winning run. Tulsa went down in order in the first extra frame. In the bottom of the eighth, UTEP hit its third home run of the game for the walk-off victory.
In the nightcap, UTEP scored first once again with two runs in the bottom of the first by stringing three base hits together. Smart led off the TU second frame with her third home run of the season, cutting the deficit in half.
The Golden Hurricane tied the game in the fourth inning, as again Smart was TU's first runner of the inning. Back-to-back singles by Smart and Chomicki, were added by back-to-back errors by the UTEP leftfielder.
After a UTEP pitching change in the fifth, Tulsa broke the game open with three runs. Freshman Christian Timmons led off the frame with a walk, followed by a single from Lindsay. Dyer was hit by another pitch to load the bases with only one out. Vice singled to left, scoring Timmons and Lindsay. Dyer also scored on the play when the fielder let the ball get away.
With the score 5-2 in TU's favor heading into the top of the seventh, the Golden Hurricane seemed to wrap the contest up with four more runs in the final inning. Dyer hit her national-leading 24th double of the season with one down, follwed by a single by Osbon. A single by Vice scored Dyer, giving the rookie three RBI for the contest. Osbon and Vice would score on a single to center field by Chomicki. After drawing a walk, Smart would score on a two-out single from senior Lindsay Galloway.
Up 9-2 and seemingly rolling since the rough first inning, the Hurricane gave up four runs in the bottom of the seventh. UTEP used three doubles and a home run, along with a single and a walk to make the game more interesting.
Tulsa is now 28-26 on the season, 12-10 in C-USA play. With help from a pair of UCF losses earlier in the day, the Hurricane has wrapped up the No. 3 seed in next week's Conference USA Championship presented by Coca-Cola in Orlando, Fla. UTEP heads into the series finale on Sunday with a record of 28-21, 7-15 in league action. Sunday's contest is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. CST.
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