Tulsa
Texas Tech
Golden Hurricane Splits Day Two of Maverick Invitational
2/11/2023 9:53:00 PM | Softball
Game 1 Stats (PDF) | Game 2 Stats (PDF)
ARLINGTON, Texas – The University of Tulsa softball team was within three outs of taking both games on Saturday but settled with a 3-2 win over Texas Tech and 4-3 loss to UT Arlington in day two of the Maverick Invitational.
The Golden Hurricane moved to 1-2 on the season after the pair of games. Texas Tech finishes day two with a 2-2 record, while UT Arlington moved to 2-1 as it dropped its nightcap against the Red Raiders.
Sophomore Maura Moore (1-0) had a fantastic debut in the circle for Tulsa in game one, punching out nine Red Raiders in a complete game effort. She allowed five hits and two runs, both earned, while walking two.
Kylee Nash had the ball in game two and threw a gem, giving up seven hits in five and two-thirds innings while striking out three. Freshman Riley Grant (0-1) came on in relief and was tagged with the loss.
Celeste Wood finished the day with five hits and four RBI, both team highs. Haley Morgan scored a pair of runs while batting .500 for the day with a pair of hits in each game.
HOW IT HAPPENED – Texas Tech 2, Tulsa 3
The Red Raiders drew blood first, taking advantage of a mini two-out rally in the opening frame. A walk and wild pitch, Moore's only of the game, put a runner in scoring position. A single later and Texas Tech successfully pulled off a double steal to take the 1-0 lead.
Tulsa didn't wait long to strike back as Morgan singled down the left field line to lead off the inning. After advancing to second on a ground out, Morgan was driven home by Wood's single up the middle, tying the game. Wood took advantage on an error by the right fielder on an Abby Jones single to get to third, and then Imani Edwards' infield single brought Wood home and put Tulsa up 2-1.
Tech tied the game in the third with a solo home run with two outs. The Hurricane would put two on the next two innings but failed to bring anyone home as the score remained tied entering the fifth.
After another one-two-three inning from Moore, Wood got Tulsa started in the bottom of the inning with a single to right. After a walk, Wood would get thrown out at third on a fielder's choice, leaving Kailyn Bearpaw at second as the lead runner. With two outs, an error from the first baseman allowed Bearpaw to score and give Tulsa the 3-2 lead.
From there, it was up to Moore, who sat down the next five batters she faced. A two-out single kept the game alive for the Red Raiders, but Moore settled down to get a flyout for the final out of the game.
GAME NOTES
» Wood had three hits in the game for Tulsa.
» Moore struck out nine Red Raiders hitters.
» The Golden Hurricane out-hit the Red Raiders at an 8-5 clip.
» The Golden Hurricane drew four walks from Texas Tech pitching.
» Texas Tech was led offensively by senior Makinzy Herzog, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
» Senior Kendall Fritz led the Red Raiders pitching staff, throwing two scoreless innings.
HOW IT HAPPENED – Tulsa 3, UT Arlington 4
Although it had a higher final score than Tulsa's opener on Saturday, game two belonged to the defenses through the first five innings.
Neither team recorded a hit in the first inning, and UT Arlington's first hit of the afternoon in the second was followed by an unassisted double-play lineout.
It wasn't until the top of the third inning when a two out single from Morgan advanced Emma Vickrey to second that a baserunner got into scoring position. However, a strikeout stranded pinch runner Tara Hall there.
Tulsa threatened again in the fourth when Wood doubled to lead off the inning. Bearpaw walked and it looked as if the Hurricane might have something cooking, but the UT Arlington's Tamya Waiters settled down and got the next three Tulsa batters out without advancing a runner.
UT Arlington came its closest to scoring in the fourth. With two outs and a runner on second, the Mavericks ripped a single to left. MacKenzie Denson came rushing in and scooped the ball cleanly, firing home to gun down the runner at the plate and preserve the 0-0 score.
After TU left a runner at second in the next two innings, the Mavericks finally broke the deadlock in the bottom of the sixth. Back-to-back singles put a runner in scoring position with nobody out. A fielder's choice and strikeout had Nash on the verge of escaping the inning with no damage, but Sophie Wideman delivered a double to left center, scoring both runners and giving the hosts a 2-0 lead. Grant entered the circle and got the next batter out.
Needing at least two runs to keep the game alive, it was not the best start to the seventh for Tulsa as a groundout and strike out had UT Arlington an out away from a win. Freshman Gabby Higbee was hit by a pitch and then Morgan kept the game going with a single through the left side. A ground ball off the bat of Edwards might have ended the game, but the second baseman couldn't field it cleanly, and the bases were loaded for Wood, who had been Tulsa's hottest bat on the day.
Wood fell behind 0-2 in the count and then delivered the team's biggest hit of the day with a hot shot that went past a stretched arm of the first baseman down the line into right field. Higbee, Morgan and Edwards raced around the bases and Wood finished on third with a stand-up triple and Tulsa now leading 3-2.
But the jubilation was short-lived as UT Arlington had three straight singles in the bottom of the seventh to load the bases with nobody out. A nine-pitch at-bat resulted in a walk that brought home the tying run. A fielder's choice got the first out of the inning. The next batter ripped a ground ball to third where a diving Wood made a fantastic dive to snare the ball and touch third with her hand for the second out. She came up firing home, but it just wasn't in time as the winning run crossed.
GAME NOTES – UT Arlington
» Celeste Wood had two extra base hits in the game, a double and a three-RBI triple.
» Tulsa pitchers faced 31 UT Arlington hitters in the game, allowing 10 ground balls and five fly balls while striking out three.
» UT Arlington was led offensively by senior Sophie Wideman, who went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI.
» Junior Gracie Bumpurs led the Mavericks pitching staff, throwing three shutout innings.
The Golden Hurricane will wrap up the Maverick Invitational with a pair of games on Sunday. Tulsa and Texas Tech will have a rubber match at 10 a.m. before the finale against UT Arlington, originally scheduled for Friday, at 12:30 p.m.
