Softball Tops Oklahoma State, 9-0

Wednesday, April 6

Collins Family Complex

5 p.m.

Tulsa

27-7

Oklahoma State

17-17

Oklahoma State

Tulsa

Softball Tops Oklahoma State, 9-0

4/6/2016 8:32:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Eric Hollier

Box Score | Video Recap

TULSA, Okla. – Led by Shelby Estocado's first-inning grand slam, Tulsa scored early and often with four runs in each of the first two innings on its way to a 9-0 (5 inn.) defeat of Oklahoma State Wednesday evening at the Collins Family Softball Complex.

Senior Caitlin Sill (15-1) pitched a two-hitter, and junior Maddie Withee also homered for the Golden Hurricane, which improved to 27-7 on the season. The shutout was Sill's fifth of the season. OSU starter Brandi Needham (5-10) pitched 1.2 innings and took the loss for the Cowgirls (17-17).

Estocado launched her ninth home run of the season to left center with the bases loaded and no outs in the opening frame. She added an RBI single in the second inning, and finished the game 2-for-3 with five RBI and two runs scored. Withee added to the lead with a solo home run in the fourth inning, and drove in a run in the second with a sacrifice fly. Freshman designated player Julia Hollingsworth, who went 2-for-3, and senior right fielder Kaitlin Allen each hit an RBI single in the second inning.

"Getting the early runs was huge," Tulsa Head Coach John Bargfeldt said, "because so many times you come up with bases loaded and nobody out, and you get one run or nothing. For us to get four runs with one swing of the bat was a big factor in the game today. I told them we had to keep our foot on the pedal, and keep having quality at bats. I thought we did a good job of having some quality at bats throughout the game."

Junior third baseman Maggie Withee led off the top of the first with a line drive base hit to center field. She went 3-for-3 and scored two runs in the game. Freshman second baseman Morgan Neal and senior catcher Catherine Horner reached on back-to-back throwing errors to load the bases, setting up Estocado's grand slam that flew just to the right of the brand new video board structure in left center field. It was the second career grand slam for the sophomore shortstop, and her first of this season.

Maggie Withee led off the second inning with another base hit up the middle, followed by a single by Neal off the pitcher's foot. Estocado then hit an RBI single past the first baseman, scoring Withee, and Maddie Withee hit a sac fly to left field to plate Neal. Hollingsworth singled through the left side to score Estocado, and then crossed the plate when Allen dropped a base hit into right center.

Maddie Withee led off the fourth inning by driving her fifth home run of the season over the fence in left field. She finished the game with a pair of RBI.

Sill tallied five strikeouts and fought off four walks and three hit batters to keep OSU off the scoreboard. Only one runner reached third base for the Cowgirls, and that was in the fifth inning. OSU loaded the bases with one out on two hit batters and a walk, but a pop up to second base and a ground ball to first closed out the game.

OSU had runners at first and second base with one out in the first inning, and a runner on first with no outs in the fourth, but a double play ground ball to Neal at second stopped each threat. Both times, she fielded the grounder, tagged the runner in the base path, and tossed to Sheffield at first. OSU had runners at first and second with no outs in the second inning, but Sill got a swinging strikeout and induced a pair of flyouts to retire the side.

"(Sill) wasn't missing by much. They were all very close misses, and she kept battling" Bargfeldt said. "In the last inning, I went out and told her you can't try to end this on one pitch. Let's make one pitch at a time, and slow it down a little bit. That was the thing we talked about early in the game too – being a little more aggressive in the bottom of the order, with the wind blowing pretty strong in from left field, so let's let the defense help out a little bit."

With nine runs and a nine-run victory on Wednesday, Tulsa posted its highest run total and largest margin of victory against Oklahoma State.

The Golden Hurricane hits the road for an American Athletic Conference series at UCF Friday through Sunday in Orlando, Fla. TU and UCF play at 4:30 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday. The Friday game will be broadcast by the American Digital Network, and can be found on TheAmerican.org.

Follow Tulsa Softball on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TulsaSoftball and Facebook at www.facebook.com/TulsaWSoftball. Follow Tulsa Athletics on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/TulsaHurricane and Facebook at www.facebook.com/TulsaHurricane.

Tulsa 9, Oklahoma State 0 (Apr 06, 2016 at Tulsa, Okla.)
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Oklahoma State...... 000 00 - 0 2 3 (17-17)
Tulsa............... 440 1X - 9 11 0 (27-7)
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Pitchers: Oklahoma State - Needham, Brandi; Coats, Shea(2) and Faulkner, Berkley. Tulsa -
SILL, Caitlin and HORNER, Catherine.
Win-SILL, Caitlin(15-1) Loss-Needham, Brandi(5-10) T-1:34 A-574
HR TLS - ESTOCADO, Shelby (9); WITHEE, Maddie (5).