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Tulsa
Marshall
Softball Opens C-USA Play with Doubleheader Sweep of Marshall
3/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 12, 2011
Box Score |
Box Score 
TULSA, Okla. - The Tulsa softball team opened Conference USA play by taking both games of a doubleheader from Marshall, 9-1 (5 inn.), and, 2-1, Saturday afternoon at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex.
Freshman Aimee Creger (8-1) struck out 11 batters and gave up just one hit and one walk in game one for the Golden Hurricane, which improved to 16-7 on the season. Senior Jordan Kinard (3-4) earned the win in game two with a complete-game two hitter. She struck out five batters and walked two.
Tulsa batters totaled 13 hits and drew 10 walks in the two games, and struck out only one time on the day. Meanwhile, TU pitchers struck out 16 batters, allowing just three hits and three walks, while the Golden Hurricane did not commit an error Saturday.
Senior right fielder Lauren Menke, freshman left fielder Shelby Blanton and sophomore catcher Cassidy Bowen combined to drive in seven TU runs. Blanton, sophomore center fielder Caitlin Everett and freshman third baseman Jill Barrett each had two hits as the Hurricane cruised to a game-one victory.
"You don't expect to get off to a six-run first inning (in the first game)," Tulsa Head Coach John Bargfeldt said. "One thing I've seen us do in the past is to score a bunch early and not follow it up with some more. We didn't do that today. Aimee pitched well in that first game, but the bats just put us in a great position, and it was great to see that."
While Tulsa scored nine runs in the first contest, game two was of the pitcher's duel type, as neither team scored through five innings. After Marshall got on the board with a run in the top of the sixth, Tulsa responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning, including a pinch-hit bases-loaded walk by freshman Haley Henshaw. TU's second run was scored on a wild pitch, allowing pinch-runner Jessica Stoelke to cross the plate.
Kinard held off the Thundering Herd in the top of the seventh with a pair of pop ups and a strike out to secure the win.
"The second game, you could just see it shaping up," said Bargfeldt. "We hit so many balls that were on the button. They made some really nice defensive plays, and some of them, we just hit balls right at them. We just kept telling (our players), `Just keep playing the way you're playing, and hopefully things will start falling.' We did keep some pressure on and that was big. A lot of character on the team to go down 1-0 after Jordan pitched a great game, and then come back and answer back right away, which was huge in that second game.
"That was an outstanding at-bat by Haley Henshaw," Bargfeldt said. "That was the second time I put her in that position and she has come through big time."
When previously called on to pinch hit with the two outs and game on the line, Henshaw drove a single to the fence in right center field in the bottom of the ninth against Creighton on Feb. 27 to give Tulsa a 2-1 win.
Marshall's Alianna Telles hit a triple down the right field line and scored on a wild pitch to give the Herd a 1-0 lead.
The Golden Hurricane came back with two runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth. Barrett led off with a single to left and sophomore shortstop Samantha Cobb walked. After a double play ground out, sophomore designated player Lacey Middlebrooks and senior right fielder Lauren Menke walked in back-to-back at-bats to load the bases. Stoelke came on to pinch run for Middlebrooks, and the pinch-hitter Henshaw drew a full-count two-out walk, scoring Cobb to tie the game. A wild pitch on the following batter allowed TU to take a 2-1 lead.
Marshall's Natalee Pulver (3-5) took the loss in game one, while Andi Williamson (5-6) absorbed the loss in game two.
Tulsa 9, Marshall 1 (5 inn.)
Every player in the lineup got a hit, scored a run, or drove in a run as the Tulsa softball team took game one of a doubleheader, 9-1, over Marshall in five innings Saturday afternoon at the Donna J. Hardesty Sports Complex.
Freshman Aimee Creger (8-1) struck out 11 batters and gave up just one hit and one walk for the Golden Hurricane. Lauren Menke, Shelby Blanton and Cassidy Bowen combined to drive in seven TU runs.
For the full recap, click here.
For all Tulsa softball news and information, visit www.TulsaHurricane.com. Follow Tulsa Athletics on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TulsaHurricane and Facebook at www.facebook.com/TulsaHurricane.
