Tulsa
Southern Miss (gm1)
Softball Opens C-USA Play with Two Wins at USM
3/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 8, 2008
Gm1 Box Score | Gm2 Box Score
Hattiesburg, Miss. - The University of Tulsa softball team opened Conference USA play with a pair of wins on Saturday at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Miss. It is the third consecutive year that the Golden Hurricane opened league play with a pair of victories. Tulsa won the opening game 9-6, then posted a 12-0 victory in the nightcap. TU is now over .500 for the first time this season at 11-10, USM falls to 11-12.
In the first game, sophomore Lauren Lindsay and senior Sara Dyer both posted singles, but the Hurricane could not break into the scoring column. That happened in the second inning, when freshman Kelly Chapman doubled down the leftfield line. A walk drawn by junior Kailey Yarmer, followed by a sacrifice bunt from senior Lindsey Tower gave TU two baserunners in scoring position. One of those runners would score two pitches later on a single to right field by junior Stephanie Chomicki. Yarmer would score on a sacrifice fly from Lindsay.
TU held USM in the bottom of the second, then added four more runs in the third. A walk by Dyer, followed by an infield single by sophomore Vanessa Vice and an RBI single up the middle by junior Brooke Smart drew a pitching change by the Golden Eagles. Chapman continued the hit parade following the change with a single to score Vice. Tower hit a one-out double to right field that scored Smart and Chapman to give TU a 6-0 lead.
After a scoreless fourth inning and top half of the fifth, Southern Miss tied the game with six runs. The first six USM batters of the stanza reached base safely using three singles, two walks and a bases-loaded double. Prior to the inning, sophomore Jackie Lawrence allowed only two USM baserunners, one on a walk and one on a fielding error. The Hurricane turned its 10th double-play of the season to end the inning with no more damage.
Neither team could score again in the sixth inning, then TU would posted a three spot in the top of the seventh. Yarmer singled with one out for TU's first base-runner of the inning. Tower followed with her second career homerun. After a walk by Chomicki, Lindsay reached first on a fielder's choice. She would then score on a double to center field by sophomore Christian Timmons for the final 9-6 margin.
The Eagles made things interesting in the bottom half of the seventh with a pair of two-out singles, however junior Katie Lee was able to get out of the inning. She won her second game of the season with two scoreless innings. Lawrence stroke out seven in five innings of work for TU as well.
A total of seven TU hitters recorded two hits in the game, as the Hurricane pounded out a season-high total of 16 hits in the game. Chomicki, Dyer, Tower and Yarmer all posted two-for-three performances at the plate for the Hurricane.
The Hurricane bats remained hot in the second game as TU scored seven times in the top of the first. Lindsay smashed the third pitch of the game to centerfield for a double. A wild pitch moved her to third, then two outs later USM appeared to be on track to get out of the inning. Vice singles to centerfield to score Lindsay, then Smart drew a four-pitch walk. TU picked up two more runs when the USM first baseman could not handle a throw, allowing Smart and Vice to score and Chapman to advance all the way to third. Yarmer drew a walk to give TU runners at the corners. A single by Tower scored Chapman for the fourth run. After a walk from Chomicki, Lindsay hit her second double of the inning to score Yarmer, Tower and Chomicki.
Tulsa added four more runs in the second inning. Dyer got TU started with a ledoff single, followed by a walk from Vice. Chapman loaded the bases for TU with a one-out single to third. Dyer would score on a grounder from Yarmer, then Vice would score on a single by Tower. Back-to-back walks with the bases loaded by Chomicki and Lindsay allowed two more Hurricane runs to score.
A leadoff walk in the bottom of the third broke up a perfect game bid by freshman Jordan Kinard in the circle for TU. The Sand Springs, Okla., native allowed only two baserunners in five innings of work, the walk and a fielding error. Neither runner advanced past first base for the Eagles. It was Kinards first collegiate no-hitter and the seventh all-time for the Hurricane.
Tulsa closed out the scoring in the fourth on back-to-back two-out doubles from Lindsay and Timmons, for the 12-0 win. Kinard struck out five while posted her third victory of the season. Lindsay's three doubles improved her season total to 10, matching Dyer for the team lead.
The two teams will conclude their three-game series with a single game at 12 Noon on Sunday.
