Tulsa
Furman
Golden Hurricane Splits Day Two of Invitational
2/24/2023 3:40:00 PM | Softball
Gamebook v Furman (PDF) | Gamebook v Mississippi State (PDF)
MOBILE, Ala. – The University of Tulsa began the day with a 7-4 win over the Furman Lady Paladins but stumbled in the afternoon 12-3 in five innings against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Friday in the South Alabama Invitational.
The Golden Hurricane moved to 7-6 on the season. The loss to the Bulldogs snapped a five-game winning streak TU had established earlier in the day, which stretched back to day two of the Golden Eagle Invitational a week ago.
Maura Moore (4-1) took the win in game one, spinning six innings and allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits with a strikeout. All of Furman's runs came on a trio of homers, including back-to-back in the fifth.
Junior Kyle Nash picked up her first save of the season, pitching the seventh inning of the opening win. Nash (3-3) had the ball for game two, throwing three innings and allowing five runs, four earned, on four hits while striking out a pair.
Haley Morgan finished the day 4-for-7, scoring four times and doubling once. She was 3-for-4 in the day's opener and scored every time she got on base. Kailyn Bearpaw drove in four, three in the win against Furman, to lead the Hurricane. The sophomore finished the day with three hits
HOW IT HAPPENED – Tulsa 7, Furman 4
Tulsa wasted no time in taking an early advantage. Morgan led off the game with a double and a pair of ground outs brought her home to put Tulsa up 1-0.
Furman took the lead in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Riley Ludlam two-run home run. The leadoff batter reached on an error, setting up the go-ahead blast after a ground out. The Lady Paladins looked poised to take full advantage as a double and walk put two on, but Moore settled in to retire the next two batters.
The Hurricane would respond in the third inning. Imani Edwards drew a one-out walk and then stole second. With two away, Bearpaw singled to right, bringing her home and tying the game at two.
Furman threatened to take the lead right back in the bottom of the third. After the first two batters reached, Moore got a pop up, foul out and fly out to stop the threat. Both teams would be retired in order in the fourth inning.
The fifth inning proved pivotal as both teams would draw blood. Once again, it was Morgan who got on base and created the opportunity as she singled with one out and promptly stole second. After a walk to Edwards, a groundout put both in scoring position.
Bearpaw picked up her second RBI with a clutch two-out infield single to score Morgan, and then Edwards scored on a wild pitch, which allowed Bearpaw to move to second. This allowed Skaggs' two-out single to bring in Bearpaw and put the Hurricane up 5-2.
Moore got the first two batters in the bottom of the fifth, but then Furman hit back-to-back solo home runs, including Ludlam's second of the day, to cut the deficit to 5-4. That was the last time the Lady Paladins would threaten.
Morgan, Edwards and Celeste Wood loaded the bags in the seventh, looking to add some insurance runs. Back-to-back groundouts from Bearpaw and Skaggs drove in two to give Tulsa the 7-4 lead. From there, Nash entered the circle and shut Furman down to earn the save.
GAME NOTES
» Morgan picked up three hits in the game for Tulsa.
» Tulsa scored in the first inning for the third straight game and fourth time in the past five.
» The Golden Hurricane outhit Furman 7-6 on the morning.
» Tulsa pitchers limited Furman to just 1-for-6 (.167) with runners in scoring position.
» Bearpaw led the Golden Hurricane at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI.
» Furman was led offensively by senior Ludlam, who went 2-for-2 with two home runs and three RBIs.
HOW IT HAPPENED – Tulsa 3, Mississippi State 12
Mississippi State scored four in the first and fourth innings, one in the third and three in the fifth to run rule the Golden Hurricane. It was a tough start for TU as the Bulldogs loaded the bags on a pair of walks and a hit batsman. A two-run error, groundout and single brought in the runs.
Morgan led Tulsa's inning with an infield single and then stole second. With two away, Bearpaw hit a one-hopper the third baseman couldn't handle as it went into left for an RBI single to cut the lead to 4-1.
The Bulldogs reestablished the four-run lead in the third with a two-on, nobody out single. With runners on second and third, Nash dug in and struck out the next two batters and got the third to ground out, putting an end to the inning and her afternoon.
Riley Grant and Kaiya Luneckas pitched the remainder of the game with Grant going an inning and two-thirds and Luneckas pitching a third of an inning with a strikeout.
After the Bulldogs tacked on four more in the fourth, including three on a 3-run homer, Tulsa grabbed two runs back. Wood walked to lead the inning and Gracie Jarvis recorded a pinch-hit single. A wild pitch put both runners in scoring position. Faith Russell drove in her second run of the season on a ground out to first, and then a fielding error by the second baseman allowed Jarvis to cross home, which gave the Bulldogs a 9-3 lead heading into the fifth.
Walks and errors hurt the Hurricane in the fifth as the Bulldogs were able to score three unearned runs to go up 12-3. Tulsa went down in order in the bottom of the frame, bringing an end to the game.
GAME NOTES
» Tulsa scored in the first inning for the fourth game in a row.
» Morgan reached base in the leadoff spot ... she has reached first safely in the first inning of every game of the invitational
» Mississippi State was led offensively by senior Paige Cook, who went 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBI.
The Golden Hurricane will finish the South Alabama Invitational on Saturday with a matchup against Louisiana Tech at 10 a.m. before a rematch with the hosts, South Alabama, at 5:30 p.m. The game against the Jaguars will air on ESPN+.
