.png)
Tulsa
Wichita State
Softball Takes One from Wichita State Tuesday
4/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 6, 2010
Box Score |
Tu vs Wichita State Game 1 
|
TU vs Wichita State Game 2
TULSA, Okla. - Jackie Lawrence pitched a two-hit shutout in game one, and the first five hitters combined for 20 hits to lead The University of Tulsa softball team to a doubleheader split against Wichita State Tuesday at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex.
The Golden Hurricane (20-15) won game one, 7-0, and fell to the Shockers (12-19) in game two, 6-4. Lauren Lindsay homered in the first game, giving her 16 for the season and setting a new single season home run mark at Tulsa.
Lawrence (8-5) threw her second shutout of the season in game one, walking three and striking out three to pick up her eighth victory of the season. She allowed no hits through 3.1 innings to start the game.
Caitlin Everett (four hits), Lindsay (four hits), Samantha Cobb (five hits), Cassidy Bowen (three hits) and Vanessa Vice (four hits) combined for 20 of TU's 25 hits and all nine RBI in the two games. Lindsay went 4-for-6 with four RBI, Everett went 4-for-9 and scored twice, Cobb went 5-for-9 with two runs, Bowen went 3-for-8 with three RBI and two runs, and Vice was 4-for-7 with two RBI.
"The big plus of the day is the way we were swinging the bats in the game," Tulsa head coach John Bargfeldt said. "You're always a little concerned coming off a five-day layoff. It's almost a week, and that's not what softball players are set to do. You get in a groove and you stay in that groove by playing. A layoff sometimes affects the pitcher as well. (Lawrence) did a great job. Even she had a tough inning that second inning. All in all, that first game was good to see."
Tulsa put two runs on the board in the first inning on Lindsay's two-run homer. Everett hit an infield single to lead off the TU first and scored on the home run.
The Golden Hurricane put up three more runs in the third on the strength of four straight hits. Lindsay singled to right field, followed by a Cobb single to right center. Bowen then doubled to center field, scoring both Lindsay and Cobb. Vice singled up the middle to drive home Bowen, giving TU a 5-0 lead.
The Hurricane was quiet for two innings before scoring its final two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Kelly Chapman led off with an infield single to third base and Everett singled to left field. Lindsay hit her 10th double of the season down the left field line to score Chapman and the speedy Everett from first, making the score, 7-0.
After a three-up-three-down first inning, Wichita State loaded the bases in the second on three walks. Lawrence coaxed a fielder's choice ground out and an infield fly out, and with the bases loaded, got a line out to center field to end the inning.
The Shockers went hitless until the fourth inning when they got a double, but were not able score. Following the hit, the next two batters lined out a popped out to short ending the inning.
Lawrence retired seven straight batters before the next WSU hit - a single in the sixth. She retired the final four batters to end the ballgame.
Wichita State 6, Tulsa 4
Wichita State scored six runs on seven hits, and Tulsa scored four runs on 13 hits, as the Shockers took game two, 6-4.
Freshman Kalynn Schrock (7-4) took the loss in game two, pitching 6.0 innings, allowing six runs - three of which were earned - three walks and eight strikeouts.
"We tried to really be determined and come back in the second game so we wouldn't let happen what happened last week," Bargfeldt said. "Again our pitcher had a little trouble finding a rhythm. (Wichita State) had a couple balls just find the right spot in some unlucky situations. Our hitters still battled back. I thought we put pressure on them the whole game. There were many opportunities and a couple times we came through, and obviously we just didn't come through enough.
Despite its 13 hits, TU left 14 runners on base, including the bases loaded twice.
"We left a lot of runners on base. I think the key was sometimes pitchers make great pitches," said Bargfeldt. "With runners on base, she went through (Lindsay) and (Cobb), our two hottest hitters, and got out of a huge jam. It would have been nice to push one across. Just like in the first inning - we had bases loaded there. We got two runs, but we still left bases loaded. That being said, we hit the ball and scored enough runs to win the game. It just took a while to find out rhythm. Once our pitcher found a rhythm in the second game, she did really well. They only had a couple balls hit hard off of her. We scraped hard to get a couple runs, and then they hit a home run. On a day like today if anything is hit pretty well up in the air, it's going to go."
Wichita State scored three unearned runs in the first inning after the leadoff batter reached on an error. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second and the next batter walked. Schrock got a strikeout, and the next hitter singled home the first run. After a walk, WSU got a pop up single down the right field line to plate two more runs. The inning ended with another called strike three.
Tulsa responded with two runs in the bottom of the first on a bases-loaded single and a wild pitch. Caitlin Everett legged out single in front of the plate, Lindsay singled to right center, and Cobb hit an infield single to the shortstop. With one out, Everett scored on a wild pitch, and Vice hit a line drive to center field, scoring Lindsay. TU left the bases loaded in the inning, but made the score, 3-2, WSU.
The Shockers got two more runs in the second with a single followed by a triple. A base hit to right center made the score, 5-2, Wichita State.
Schrock found her groove and retired the next nine batters, giving Tulsa a chance to score some runs and close the gap.
The Golden Hurricane had base runners in the second and third innings, again unable to plate any runs, but closed the gap in the fourth. Cobb hit a one-out single through the left side and moved to second on Bowen's base hit up the middle. Timmons walked to load the bases and Cobb came home on another wild pitch, making the score 5-3, WSU.
Tulsa had runners on first and second in the bottom of the fifth and the top of the order up to bat, but Wichita State got three straight strikeouts to get out of the inning.
Wichita State's final run came on a home run to right center in the fifth inning, making the score, 6-3.
Bowen led off the sixth with her third home run of the season - a bomb to left field that landed well onto 6th street.
Schrock retired 14 of the last 15 batters she faced. Jordan Kinard came on in relief in the seventh inning, giving up one hit, but retired the next three hitters, ending the inning on a called third strike.
Lindsay drew a two-out walk in the seventh, but TU was unable to muster a last-minute comeback.
The Golden Hurricane returns to Conference USA action as it hits the road to face Southern Miss this weekend in a three-game set. Tulsa and USM square off in a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., and conclude the series with a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.
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."
