Friday, February 9
College Station, Texas
10:00 a.m.
Tulsa
9
vs
0
Valparaiso
Golden Hurricane Sweeps Opening Day over Valparaiso and Lehigh
2/9/2024 5:27:00 PM | Softball
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The University of Tulsa softball team opened the 2024 season with a pair of wins in the Aggie Classic, taking down Valparaiso 9-0 in the morning and finishing the day with an 11-2 win over Lehigh.
Tulsa (2-0, 0-0 AAC) win over Valparaiso (0-1, 0-0 MVC) was the first season opening win for the Golden Hurricane since 2020. The victory against Lehigh (0-1, 0-0 Patriot) was the first game in the series between the two schools.
Kylee Nash (1-0) and Maura Moore (1-0) earned the starts and the wins. Nash pitched three innings in the opener, allowing just two hits and a walk, while striking out a pair. Moore got the ball in the finale of the day, tossing five innings of two-run softball. She gave up five hits and struck out four. Freshman Anneca Anderson pitched two innings in relief, allowing three base runners on one hit and two walks and striking out two. JUCO transfer Alexa Hopkins made her debut in the final two innings of the second game, facing seven batters and allowing just one hit.
Eight different Hurricane drove in runs between the two games. Senior center fielder Haley Morgan led the way with eight while delivering five hits. She finished a home run short of the cycle in game one. MacKenzie Denson brought home three, while Kailyn Bearpaw, Imani Edwards and Abby Jones each had two RBIs. Maci Cole smashed a second inning home run against Lehigh for her first as a Hurricane and Tulsa's first this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED – TULSA 9, VALPARAISO 0 (5)
Tulsa struck early and often against Valpo, scoring in each of the first four innings, and multiple runs in the opening three. As she's done for years, Haley Morgan got Tulsa rolling with a single and a stolen base to start the game. She scored as a sacrifice bunt from MacKenzie Denson was thrown away. Denson, who advanced to second on the error, came around to score on a single from Imani Edwards. A throw home got away and Edwards was able to take advantage, coming all the way around to score and give Tulsa a 3-0 lead after one.
The Hurricane put up another three in the second inning to blow the game open. Emma Vickrey and Abby Jones led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Vickrey scored off a double from Morgan, and then Jones and Morgan were both brought home on a Denson single through the right side.
Morgan came through again in the third inning with Tara Hall pinch running at second and Jones at first. Morgan ripped a shot in the gap in right center and safely got into third for a triple and two RBIs. Kailyn Bearpaw gave Tulsa its ninth and final run in the top of the fourth. Edwards singled to open the inning and advanced on an error. She then stole third and scored on a Bearpaw sacrifice fly to center.
Kylee Nash got nine runs of support, but it turned out she wouldn't need much. The senior worked through a bases loaded jam in the first after consecutive singles and a hit batter with one away. She got a strikeout and ground out to end the threat. From there, she didn't allow another hit and only one runner on a walk. In her three innings of work, Nash didn't allow a fly ball, and nothing left the infield.
She departed in the fourth for freshman Anneca Anderson, who was making her Tulsa debut. The Shawnee, Okla. native struck out the first batter she faced en route to two scoreless innings of relief. She got out of the fourth with a double play and then sat the final three batters down after allowing a leadoff walk in the fifth to complete the win.
Morgan finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a single, double, triple and three driven in. Her attempt at a cycle fell short on a flyout to left in the top of the fifth. Edwards and Jones each had two hits in the win.
GAME NOTES
» Morgan had three hits and was a home run short of the cycle
» Tulsa outhit Valpo 11-3
» The Hurricane also committed zero errors, while Valparaiso had three.
» TU leads the all-time series 2-0 with the win
» First opening game win since the 2020 season.
» Kylee Nash and Anneca Anderson each struck out two batters.
HOW IT HAPPENED – TULSA 11, LEHIGH 2
After a scoreless first frame, Maci Cole picked up the first hit of her Tulsa career in a big way, blasting a solo shot to left for the opening run of the game. TU doubled the lead in the top of the fourth. A Claira Skaggs single with one out proved advantageous as she got to third on an error that allowed Cole to reach safely. This allowed for Celeste Wood to bring her home with a sacrifice fly that would have ended the inning.
The Mountain Hawks fought back in the bottom of the frame. A pair of singles to lead off the inning made way for a one-out double that tied the game. An experienced Maura Moore buckled down and struck out two of the next three batters she faced to get out of the inning.
Both teams were held scoreless in the fifth, but the Hurricane took control with a five-run sixth inning that included six hits and a hit batsman, most of which happened with two outs. Wood singled with one away, and then got into scoring position with aggressive base running, moving up to second after a foul out to right field. With two outs, senior second baseman Abby Jones delivered a big double to score Wood. She was rewarded as Haley Morgan singled her home. Morgan advanced to second and stole third, scoring on a MacKenzie Denson double to give Tulsa a 5-2 lead. TU wasn't done, as Imani Edwards singled home Denson, and Skaggs brought in Edwards with a double as Tulsa took a 7-2 lead to the bottom of the inning.
Moore stepped aside for Alexa Hopkins in the fourth. The junior hurler finished the afternoon allowing just two runs and five hits in her five innings of work. She walked one and struck out four. She gave up just one extra base-hit. Hopkins came in and slammed the door on the Mountain Hawks. The JUCO transfer allowed just one hit and a hit batter, who was quickly erased on a double play.
The Hurricane added four insurance runs in the seventh, taking advantage of a couple of errors. Kennedy Cramer made her first appearance of the season as a pinch hitter, tripling to the gap between right and center. She scored on a fielder's choice. Jones was standing on third with two outs when an error allowed her to score and Denson to reach safely and advance to second. Denson then scored on another error from the first baseman, that allowed Edwards to reach safely. Finally, Bearpaw doubled to right, scoring Edwards to make it 11-2.
Morgan, Denson, Edwards, Skaggs and Jones all had two hits and at least one RBI in the afternoon game. Jones drove in two in the win.
GAME NOTES
» This was the first meeting between the schools, and Tulsa now leads the series 1-0
» Tulsa outhit the Mountain Hawks 14-6 and 6-1 in extra base hits.
» The Hurricane had six RBIs with two outs
» TU batted 18-for-24 (.750) on advancement opportunities, while holding Lehigh to 2-of-12 in similar circumstances.
» Maci Cole hit Tulsa's first homer of the season and first of her TU career … this is the second year in a row a catcher hit Tulsa's first home run of the season … Rylee Keith, now a graduate assistant, hit TU's first in 2023 in a 15-0 win over Alcorn state.
The Golden Hurricane will continue the Aggie Classic with a pair of games on Saturday. First is a rematch with Valparaiso at 12:30 p.m. before a showdown with No. 24 Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. on the SEC+ Network.
Tulsa (2-0, 0-0 AAC) win over Valparaiso (0-1, 0-0 MVC) was the first season opening win for the Golden Hurricane since 2020. The victory against Lehigh (0-1, 0-0 Patriot) was the first game in the series between the two schools.
Kylee Nash (1-0) and Maura Moore (1-0) earned the starts and the wins. Nash pitched three innings in the opener, allowing just two hits and a walk, while striking out a pair. Moore got the ball in the finale of the day, tossing five innings of two-run softball. She gave up five hits and struck out four. Freshman Anneca Anderson pitched two innings in relief, allowing three base runners on one hit and two walks and striking out two. JUCO transfer Alexa Hopkins made her debut in the final two innings of the second game, facing seven batters and allowing just one hit.
Eight different Hurricane drove in runs between the two games. Senior center fielder Haley Morgan led the way with eight while delivering five hits. She finished a home run short of the cycle in game one. MacKenzie Denson brought home three, while Kailyn Bearpaw, Imani Edwards and Abby Jones each had two RBIs. Maci Cole smashed a second inning home run against Lehigh for her first as a Hurricane and Tulsa's first this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED – TULSA 9, VALPARAISO 0 (5)
Tulsa struck early and often against Valpo, scoring in each of the first four innings, and multiple runs in the opening three. As she's done for years, Haley Morgan got Tulsa rolling with a single and a stolen base to start the game. She scored as a sacrifice bunt from MacKenzie Denson was thrown away. Denson, who advanced to second on the error, came around to score on a single from Imani Edwards. A throw home got away and Edwards was able to take advantage, coming all the way around to score and give Tulsa a 3-0 lead after one.
The Hurricane put up another three in the second inning to blow the game open. Emma Vickrey and Abby Jones led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Vickrey scored off a double from Morgan, and then Jones and Morgan were both brought home on a Denson single through the right side.
Morgan came through again in the third inning with Tara Hall pinch running at second and Jones at first. Morgan ripped a shot in the gap in right center and safely got into third for a triple and two RBIs. Kailyn Bearpaw gave Tulsa its ninth and final run in the top of the fourth. Edwards singled to open the inning and advanced on an error. She then stole third and scored on a Bearpaw sacrifice fly to center.
Kylee Nash got nine runs of support, but it turned out she wouldn't need much. The senior worked through a bases loaded jam in the first after consecutive singles and a hit batter with one away. She got a strikeout and ground out to end the threat. From there, she didn't allow another hit and only one runner on a walk. In her three innings of work, Nash didn't allow a fly ball, and nothing left the infield.
She departed in the fourth for freshman Anneca Anderson, who was making her Tulsa debut. The Shawnee, Okla. native struck out the first batter she faced en route to two scoreless innings of relief. She got out of the fourth with a double play and then sat the final three batters down after allowing a leadoff walk in the fifth to complete the win.
Morgan finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a single, double, triple and three driven in. Her attempt at a cycle fell short on a flyout to left in the top of the fifth. Edwards and Jones each had two hits in the win.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
| Tulsa | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 0 |
| Valpo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
GAME NOTES
» Morgan had three hits and was a home run short of the cycle
» Tulsa outhit Valpo 11-3
» The Hurricane also committed zero errors, while Valparaiso had three.
» TU leads the all-time series 2-0 with the win
» First opening game win since the 2020 season.
» Kylee Nash and Anneca Anderson each struck out two batters.
HOW IT HAPPENED – TULSA 11, LEHIGH 2
After a scoreless first frame, Maci Cole picked up the first hit of her Tulsa career in a big way, blasting a solo shot to left for the opening run of the game. TU doubled the lead in the top of the fourth. A Claira Skaggs single with one out proved advantageous as she got to third on an error that allowed Cole to reach safely. This allowed for Celeste Wood to bring her home with a sacrifice fly that would have ended the inning.
The Mountain Hawks fought back in the bottom of the frame. A pair of singles to lead off the inning made way for a one-out double that tied the game. An experienced Maura Moore buckled down and struck out two of the next three batters she faced to get out of the inning.
Both teams were held scoreless in the fifth, but the Hurricane took control with a five-run sixth inning that included six hits and a hit batsman, most of which happened with two outs. Wood singled with one away, and then got into scoring position with aggressive base running, moving up to second after a foul out to right field. With two outs, senior second baseman Abby Jones delivered a big double to score Wood. She was rewarded as Haley Morgan singled her home. Morgan advanced to second and stole third, scoring on a MacKenzie Denson double to give Tulsa a 5-2 lead. TU wasn't done, as Imani Edwards singled home Denson, and Skaggs brought in Edwards with a double as Tulsa took a 7-2 lead to the bottom of the inning.
Moore stepped aside for Alexa Hopkins in the fourth. The junior hurler finished the afternoon allowing just two runs and five hits in her five innings of work. She walked one and struck out four. She gave up just one extra base-hit. Hopkins came in and slammed the door on the Mountain Hawks. The JUCO transfer allowed just one hit and a hit batter, who was quickly erased on a double play.
The Hurricane added four insurance runs in the seventh, taking advantage of a couple of errors. Kennedy Cramer made her first appearance of the season as a pinch hitter, tripling to the gap between right and center. She scored on a fielder's choice. Jones was standing on third with two outs when an error allowed her to score and Denson to reach safely and advance to second. Denson then scored on another error from the first baseman, that allowed Edwards to reach safely. Finally, Bearpaw doubled to right, scoring Edwards to make it 11-2.
Morgan, Denson, Edwards, Skaggs and Jones all had two hits and at least one RBI in the afternoon game. Jones drove in two in the win.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| Tulsa | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 14 | 0 |
| Lehigh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 |
GAME NOTES
» This was the first meeting between the schools, and Tulsa now leads the series 1-0
» Tulsa outhit the Mountain Hawks 14-6 and 6-1 in extra base hits.
» The Hurricane had six RBIs with two outs
» TU batted 18-for-24 (.750) on advancement opportunities, while holding Lehigh to 2-of-12 in similar circumstances.
» Maci Cole hit Tulsa's first homer of the season and first of her TU career … this is the second year in a row a catcher hit Tulsa's first home run of the season … Rylee Keith, now a graduate assistant, hit TU's first in 2023 in a 15-0 win over Alcorn state.
The Golden Hurricane will continue the Aggie Classic with a pair of games on Saturday. First is a rematch with Valparaiso at 12:30 p.m. before a showdown with No. 24 Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. on the SEC+ Network.
Players Mentioned
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P/DP
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