Moore’s No-Hitter Highlights Tulsa’s Doubleheader Wins

Saturday, March 9

Memphis, Tenn.

1:00 P.M.

Tulsa

13-7, 1-0-0

Memphis

3-17, 0-1-0

Tulsa

Memphis

Moore’s No-Hitter Highlights Tulsa’s Doubleheader Wins

3/9/2024 9:46:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score (DH Game 1)Box Score (DH Game 2)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Junior pitcher Maura Moore got the conference season started with her third no-hitter with the Golden Hurricane, as the University of Tulsa took care of Memphis 9-0 in five innings and then 8-2 in a Saturday doubleheader at the Tigers Softball Complex.

Tulsa improves to 14-7 and 2-0 in The American Athletic Conference with the wins. The Memphis Tigers fall to 3-18, 0-2 in The American with its losses.

Moore (6-3) was brilliant in her five innings of work. She struck out six batters while only allowing three runners on walks and one hit by pitch. It was the second complete game of the season for Moore and first shutout.

Anneca Anderson (5-0) got the nod for game two and also pitched a complete game in the win, her third of the season. Memphis picked up a pair of runs on five hits and four walks against the freshman, but she battled and struck out seven in the win.

Junior Claira Skaggs hit her first home run of the season in the series opener. She added her team-leading 10th double as well. The third baseman finished the day with four hits, two walks, five RBIs and three runs scored. Senior center fielder Haley Morgan had a nice day at the plate as well, recording four RBIs on three hits and a couple of sacrifices. MacKenzie Denson had a four-hit day with three in the opener. She also scored four runs, the most of any Hurricane.

GAME 1: TULSA 9, MEMPHIS 0 (Five Innings)
Tulsa jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first MacKenzie Denson and Haley Morgan each singled and an error in left allowed Denson to score and Morgan to get in safely at third. After Imani Edwards hit into a sacrifice fly to score Morgan, Claira Skaggs stepped up and hit a solo home run to center field.

The Hurricane blew the game open in the second inning. Celeste Wood doubled to lead things off. Emma Vickrey picked up her first RBI of the season with a base knock to right, scoring Wood. After a Denson single and passed ball, Tulsa had two in scoring position with nobody out. Morgan picked up another RBI with a sacrifice fly as Tulsa went ahead 5-0. A single from Edwards scored Denson, and then Skaggs doubled in Edward. Tulsa's eighth run came on a Kennedy Cramer up the middle to score Skaggs.

Meanwhile, Moore was not allowing much from the Tigers. A leadoff walk in the second was followed by striking out the side. In the third, a runner got on by a hit pitch, but was left standing at third. Even in the fourth with two on, Moore struck out a batter to end the threat.
Tulsa scored the game's final run in the third. Denson hit a one-out triple. Morgan followed with a ground out to bring her home and TU took a 9-0 lead, which would remain throughout.

	1	2	3	4	5	R	H	E
Tulsa	3	5	1	0	0	9	14	0
Memphis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1

GAME NOTES
» Friday's game was moved to a Saturday doubleheader thanks to weather.
» Maura Moore tossed her third no-no as a Golden Hurricane.
» This was the first no-hitter this season by a Tulsa pitcher.
» Claira Skaggs hit her first home run of the season.
» Skaggs recorded her team-leading 10th double of the season.
» Celeste Wood picked up her seventh double.
» Kylee Nash doubled for the second time.

GAME 2: TULSA 8, MEMPHIS 2
Tulsa didn't pick up a hit until the third inning in game two, but quickly got on the board after doing so. Celeste Wood reached on an error, and a walk moved her to second. MacKenzie Denson picked up a bunt single for Tulsa's first hit to load the bases. After consecutive fielder's choices where the third baseman caught a player at the plate, Memphis was poised to escape the inning with no damage. But Claira Skaggs came up with the big hit, a two-RBI single to center, scoring Denson and Haley Morgan.

The Hurricane took advantage of a pair of errors in the fourth to widen the lead. Kennedy Cramer was hit by a pitch and then stole second. Kailyn Bearpaw reached on an error to short, but she was retired on a double play. Another error from the shortstop brought Cramer in from third to give TU a 3-0 lead.

Memphis got a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to one. A leadoff walk and single had two runners on. Tulsa caught a runner attempting to steal third, but the runner at first moved up to second in the process. An RBI single up the middle brought in Memphis' first run of the weekend. After a walk, the Tigers hit into a double-play ball. After stepping on second, Edwards' throw was errant, bringing in a run. Wood and Edwards combined to get the batter out trying to stretch for second, ending the frame with Tulsa up 3-2.

TU got its lead back to wo in the fifth thanks to another error. Edwards stole second and was in scoring position with two outs when an error by the second baseman allowed her to go to third and then score to give Tulsa the 4-2 lead.

The lead remained the same heading into the final inning, where Tulsa was finally able to get some breathing room. Edwards reached on an error and stole second. Skaggs brought her home with a single to go up 5-2, advancing to second on a throw home. Then, Abby Jones doubled to center, scoring Skaggs. The Hurricane wasn't done, as Kylee Nash stepped up and singled home Jones. Tara Hall, who had come in as a pinch runner earlier in the frame, scored the final run on an RBI single off Morgan's bat as Tulsa scored four in the frame to lead 8-2.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Tulsa	0	0	2	1	1	0	4	8	6	1
Memphis	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	5	7

GAME NOTES

» Tulsa improves to 43-11 all-time against the Tigers.
» TU moves to 14-7 on the season and 2-0 in The American.
» Anneca Anderson moves to 5-0 in her freshman campaign.
» Abby Jones collected her ninth double of the season.
» Tulsa drew six walks in the win.
» The Hurricane had only one extra-base hit.

The Golden Hurricane finishes its first conference weekend of the season with a final game against the Memphis Tigers on Sunday. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.