Friday, March 15
Collins Family Softball Complex
5:00 p.m.
Tulsa
0
vs
3
South Florida
Tulsa Falls 3-0 to South Florida in Series Opener
3/15/2024 7:53:00 PM | Softball
TULSA, Okla. – The Golden Hurricane softball team allowed runs in the first and final innings as Tulsa dropped game one of the weekend conference series 3-0 to South Florida on Friday evening in the Collins Family Softball Complex.
Tulsa improves to 16-8 and 3-1 in The American Athletic Conference, while South Florida improves to 20-9 and evens it's the American record at 2-2.
Maura Moore (6-4) had the start and took the loss despite a strong effort. She allowed three runs on six hits and struck out six. All three of her walks occurred in the first inning but were costly. Two came around to score and one drove in a run. Alexa Hopkins faced and retired one batter in the top of the seventh.
Belle Sardja (9-4) pitched 5.0 innings for South Florida and got the win. She allowed five hits and struck out two. Payton Dixon came on in relief and got a six out save. She allowed two hits, walked one and struck out two.
At the plate, MacKenzie Denson and Imani Edwards each had a pair of singles for the Tulsa offense. Denson entered the weekend 18th in the country for hits and now has 37 on the season. Claira Skaggs, Kennedy Cramer and Celeste Wood each got hits in the ballgame as well.
Alex Wilkes was the lone two-hit batter for the Bulls. Alanah Rivera had a hit and an RBI, and Marissa Trivelpiece drove in two and had the only extra-base hit of the game with a solo home run in the top of the seventh.
SOUTH FLORIDA 3, TULSA 0
South Florida leapt out to an early lead. Consecutive walks got the Bulls in business. After a strikeout, a single up the middle loaded the bases. An infield single scored one run, and then a walk brought in the second run. Maura Moore struck out the next two batters to prevent any further damage.
From there, Moore allowed just one runner until the sixth inning. That was on a one-out single in the second that was erased on a nifty double play by Imani Edwards, who snared a hotshot to short, stepped on second and fired to first to turn two.
A South Florida single in the sixth was also erased. Catcher Maci Cole caught her seventh batter attempting to steal, combining with Abby Jones for the out. Cole entered the weekend 38th in the nation in runners caught stealing.
The Bulls added an insurance run in the seventh with a leadoff home run to center. After a pair of outs, the Bulls got an infield single off Moore's glove, and then she was replaced with Alexa Hopkins, who finished the frame after one batter.
The Hurricane had runners on first and third in the fourth inning, but the sixth was Tulsa's best opportunity. Edwards and Claira Skaggs each singled, and a fielding error from the left fielder allowed both to advance to scoring position with nobody out. However, the next two batters went down swinging and a groundout ended the opportunity.
GAME NOTES
» Tulsa falls to 16-8 on the season and 3-1 in The American.
» The Hurricane drops to 11-16 against the Bulls all-time.
» TU outhit an opponent in a loss for the third time this season.
» This was Tulsa's third time to get shutout.
» The Hurricane was held without an extra-base hit for only the second time this season.
» Maci Cole threw out her seventh runner attempting to steal.
» MacKenzie Denson picked up her 36th and 37th hits of the season, which is top 20 in the nation.
Tulsa and South Florida meet Saturday for game two of the weekend series. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
Tulsa improves to 16-8 and 3-1 in The American Athletic Conference, while South Florida improves to 20-9 and evens it's the American record at 2-2.
Maura Moore (6-4) had the start and took the loss despite a strong effort. She allowed three runs on six hits and struck out six. All three of her walks occurred in the first inning but were costly. Two came around to score and one drove in a run. Alexa Hopkins faced and retired one batter in the top of the seventh.
Belle Sardja (9-4) pitched 5.0 innings for South Florida and got the win. She allowed five hits and struck out two. Payton Dixon came on in relief and got a six out save. She allowed two hits, walked one and struck out two.
At the plate, MacKenzie Denson and Imani Edwards each had a pair of singles for the Tulsa offense. Denson entered the weekend 18th in the country for hits and now has 37 on the season. Claira Skaggs, Kennedy Cramer and Celeste Wood each got hits in the ballgame as well.
Alex Wilkes was the lone two-hit batter for the Bulls. Alanah Rivera had a hit and an RBI, and Marissa Trivelpiece drove in two and had the only extra-base hit of the game with a solo home run in the top of the seventh.
SOUTH FLORIDA 3, TULSA 0
South Florida leapt out to an early lead. Consecutive walks got the Bulls in business. After a strikeout, a single up the middle loaded the bases. An infield single scored one run, and then a walk brought in the second run. Maura Moore struck out the next two batters to prevent any further damage.
From there, Moore allowed just one runner until the sixth inning. That was on a one-out single in the second that was erased on a nifty double play by Imani Edwards, who snared a hotshot to short, stepped on second and fired to first to turn two.
A South Florida single in the sixth was also erased. Catcher Maci Cole caught her seventh batter attempting to steal, combining with Abby Jones for the out. Cole entered the weekend 38th in the nation in runners caught stealing.
The Bulls added an insurance run in the seventh with a leadoff home run to center. After a pair of outs, the Bulls got an infield single off Moore's glove, and then she was replaced with Alexa Hopkins, who finished the frame after one batter.
The Hurricane had runners on first and third in the fourth inning, but the sixth was Tulsa's best opportunity. Edwards and Claira Skaggs each singled, and a fielding error from the left fielder allowed both to advance to scoring position with nobody out. However, the next two batters went down swinging and a groundout ended the opportunity.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| USF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| Tulsa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
GAME NOTES
» Tulsa falls to 16-8 on the season and 3-1 in The American.
» The Hurricane drops to 11-16 against the Bulls all-time.
» TU outhit an opponent in a loss for the third time this season.
» This was Tulsa's third time to get shutout.
» The Hurricane was held without an extra-base hit for only the second time this season.
» Maci Cole threw out her seventh runner attempting to steal.
» MacKenzie Denson picked up her 36th and 37th hits of the season, which is top 20 in the nation.
Tulsa and South Florida meet Saturday for game two of the weekend series. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
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/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
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