.png)
Tulsa
North Dakota
Softball Sweeps Two Games Sunday
3/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 7, 2010
Box Score
TULSA, Okla. - The University of Tulsa softball team totaled 19 runs and 25 hits, including 12 extra base hits, in wins over North Dakota, 13-7, and Nebraska, 6-4, Sunday afternoon in the Tulsa Embassy Suites Festival at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex.
The Golden Hurricane went 4-1 on the weekend to improve its record to 11-9. Junior Jordan Kinard earned a relief win against North Dakota, improving to 3-2, while senior Jackie Lawrence got the victory against Nebraska, improving to 4-4 on the season. Tulsa beat Nebraska in all three meetings over the weekend.
"The thing we wanted to accomplish, is we wanted to treat this like a prelude to a three-game conference series," Tulsa head coach John Bargfeldt said. "We talked about how important it was to get the first game (against Nebraska). We came back in dramatic fashion to get that. Then we talked about how important getting that second game is, because your goal is to win two out of three of every series. Then, once we got that second game, we talked to them about how you can close it out and feel like it's been a great weekend. You don't get sweeps all the time. It was a great job by the girls of being focused and determined. We needed our hitting to come around in the first game, and it did that in the middle of the game. Then we carried on and played pretty solid softball."
The Hurricane recorded nine extra base hits in the game, including four home runs and five doubles. The four homers tie a single game record for TU. The feat has been accomplished three times now, and this was the first since Tulsa hit four homers in a 10-0 win at Memphis on March 21 of last season.
Tulsa found itself down in the first inning when North Dakota hit a two-run home run. The Sioux took a 3-0 lead on an RBI single in the second inning. After two uneventful innings at bat for TU, the Hurricane exploded for five hits in the third inning and scored a pair of runs.
Third baseman Kelly Chapman doubled to lead off the third, followed by a single by center fielder Caitlin Everett, a double by right fielder Lauren Lindsay and singles by shortstop Samantha Cobb and first baseman Vanessa Vice. Chapman stole home on a double-steal when Everett took second, and Everett scored on Lindsay's double.
The Golden Hurricane came back with three more runs in the fourth inning to take a 5-3 lead. Right fielder Lauren Lindsay blasted a two-run homer to left field and shortstop Samantha Cobb immediately followed with a solo shot to left. The homers were Lindsay's ninth and Cobb's sixth of the season.
North Dakota tied the game in the top of the fourth with a two-run home run to center. The Hurricane picked up two more runs in the top of the fifth with an RBI double by Chapman that scored second baseman Skylar Swanson and left fielder Jessica Stoelke. Swanson reached on a single and Stoelke reached on a fielder's choice sacrifice bunt in which she and Swanson reached base safely. Tulsa led, 7-5 at that point.
The Fighting Sioux tied the game again in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run single following a walk and a bunt single.
Tulsa took the lead for good in the top of the sixth when Vice smashed her first career home run off the scoreboard to give the Hurricane an 8-7 lead. TU picked up another run in the inning on Mickey LaValley's pinch-hit RBI single into right center.
The Golden Hurricane tacked on four more runs in the top of the seventh inning. Lindsay hit a one-out double down the right field line, and Cobb singled her home. With two outs, Swanson hit her first home run of the season, a two-run blast to center field. Stoelke followed that with a double and pinch-hitter Keri Leach singled to left to drive Stoelke home.
Freshman Kalynn Schrock started the game for Tulsa and pitched 4.0 innings allowing five runs before being relieved by Kinard. Kinard gave up two runs on three hits and struck out four batters in the final 3.0 innings. The two runs scored in the fifth inning, and Kinard settled down to retire eight of the next nine batters. The only hit was a bunt single that rolled perfectly past the pitcher to second base.
Tulsa 6, Nebraska 4
Tulsa scored six runs on seven hits, including three extra base hits, to defeat Nebraska, 6-4, Sunday afternoon to close out the Embassy Suites Festival.
The Golden Hurricane jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Caitlin Everett led off with a bunt single and Lauren Lindsay followed with a double to right center. Everett scored two batters later when Vanessa Vice hit a hard fly ball that was dropped by the right fielder. Vice stole second on the next play and Lindsay scored on the delayed double steal.
Nebraska tied the score with two runs in the third inning on an RBI single and a hit batter with the bases loaded. The Cornhuskers took a 4-2 lead in the top of the fourth with a solo home run and an RBI single.
Tulsa answered with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead for good. Christian Timmons led off the inning with her first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field. Lauren Menke bunted for a single and Kelly Chapman doubled into right field. Lauren Lindsay drew an intentional walk with one out and runners on second and third. Samantha Cobb then singled to left field, scoring Menke. Vice drew a bases-loaded walk, sending Chapman home, and Lindsay scored from third on a wild pitch.
Jackie Lawrence allowed seven hits, three earned runs, four walks and struck out three in going the distance to earn her fourth win of the season. She battled out of situations with runners in scoring position in four innings, including bases loaded in the third.
"Jackie battled again, and showed the type of pitcher she was for us consistently last year," Bargfeldt said. "She probably didn't have as good stuff as she did the other day, but she really worked and grinded through it, and made pitches when she needed to. That's what we've been accustomed to seeing. We're glad to see that come back to her before we go into our conference series starting next weekend."
Bargfeldt praised the efforts of his senior catcher in Timmons. He also praised the play of the senior class as a whole.
"Somebody who doesn't get a lot of recognition sometimes is Christian Timmons," said Bargfeldt. "Just the way she handles the game back there, catching. There were probably several runs saved by her just digging balls out of the dirt. It was good to see her come up big at the plate. I thought she had good at-bats all weekend. She did some things for us, like put down a great bunt and got a rally going (against Nebraska Friday). Then she hit a big home run for us when we were down 4-2, and that made it 4-3 and got us going (against Nebraska Sunday). That kind of jump-started us in that inning.
"It was good to see, as you go through and look at our seniors, that all four of them did an outstanding job on the entire weekend. They've been working hard trying to lead some younger players. I felt like their play stepped up this weekend and really had some solid games from all four of them."
Tickets for all Tulsa softball home games are $6 for adults and $4 for youth. Tickets can be purchased at the TU Athletics Ticket Office, by calling 631-GoTU (4688), or at the gate.
For all Tulsa softball news and information, visit www.TulsaHurricane.com. Follow Tulsa Athletics on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TulsaHurricane. Become a fan of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane page on Facebook - search "Tulsa Golden Hurricane."
