Softball Walks Off on Senior Day with Extra-Inning Win over UConn

Sunday, May 8

Collins Family Complex

Noon

Tulsa

32-18, 0

UConn

19-31, 0

UConn

Tulsa

Softball Walks Off on Senior Day with Extra-Inning Win over UConn

5/8/2016 4:14:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Eric Hollier

Box Score
Weekend Highlight Recap

TULSA, Okla. – Senior first baseman Jocelyn Sheffield sang the national anthem before the game, and hit a walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning, as Tulsa defeated UConn, 1-0, Sunday to complete the American Athletic Conference series sweep at the Collins Family Softball Complex.

Senior Caitlin Sill (17-10) pitched a 9.0-inning shutout for the Golden Hurricane, which improved to 32-18 overall and finished with a 9-9 conference record. Sill allowed just four hits, and tallied four strikeouts.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Sheffield lined a single into right field, scoring sophomore shortstop Shelby Estocado from third base to win the game.

Sill recorded a strikeout with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning to keep the Huskies (19-31, 4-12 American) scoreless. Estocado led off the bottom of the ninth with a base hit through the right side of the infield, freshman designated player Morgan Neal bunted for a base hit, and senior second baseman Kaitlin Allen walked to load the bases and set up Sheffield's single.

"You couldn't script it any better," Tulsa Head Coach John Bargfeldt said. "A senior pitcher goes out and throws a nine-inning shutout, and Jocelyn comes up with a big hit. Another senior in there (Allen) came up with a big at bat – just keeping the line moving. We talked about going up there and everybody not trying to do it all themselves. We just needed to get up there and start stringing baserunners together."

Tulsa threatened in the fourth inning when freshman right fielder Julia Hollingsworth hit a one-out double, but she was stranded on third base. In the seventh, junior left fielder Maddie Withee, who was 2-for-3 in the game, hit a one-out single just past the bag at first, but was also stranded at third base.

UConn had runners at second and third in the first and fourth innings, but a pop up to second base ended each threat. Only one other runner reached second base until the ninth inning. After the fifth-inning leadoff single by Valerie Sadowl, Sill retired 11 batters in a row, and 12 of the next 13, save for a two-out single in the eighth. The Huskies loaded the bases in the ninth with an error at shortstop and two two-out walks, before Sill froze shortstop Lexi Gifford on an 0-2 pitch to end the inning.

Jill Stockley (9-13) went the distance for the Huskies, and struck out two and allowed eight hits in the loss.

"We've been waiting for our confidence to come back, and I think this is a big step to it coming back," Bargfeldt said. "Finals are over, and the players' minds get to clear up a little bit. We knew the confidence could come back just as quickly as it left, and we're excited about continuing on now, and continuing to play the way that we were accustomed to seeing this team play for most of the year."

The Golden Hurricane concludes the regular season with a nonconference contest Tuesday at Oklahoma State. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

Tulsa will host the American Athletic Conference Championship this week, May 12-14, at the Collins Family Softball Complex. The tournament begins on Thursday, with games at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. TU will face East Carolina at 4 p.m. Thursday.

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 1, UConn 0 (May 08, 2016 at Tulsa, Okla.)
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UConn............... 000 000 000 - 0 4 1 (19-31, 4-12)
Tulsa............... 000 000 001 - 1 8 1 (32-18, 9-9)
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Pitchers: UConn - STOCKLEY, Jill and DUBOIS, Jacklyn. Tulsa - SILL, Caitlin and
HORNER, Catherine.
Win-SILL, Caitlin(17-10) Loss-STOCKLEY, Jill(9-13) T-2:16 A-446
Weather: 71 Cloudy, Wind S @ 12 mph