Friday, April 12
Collins Family Softball Complex
5:00 p.m.
Tulsa
26-13, 11-5
2
vs
1
East Carolina
29-13, 6-10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
East Carolina
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
1
Tulsa
2
0
0
0
0
0
X
2
6
0
Photo by: Bill Powell
Moore Fans 10 in Tulsa’s 2-1 Win
4/12/2024 8:42:00 PM | Softball
TULSA, Okla. – Junior pitcher Maura Moore struck out 10 Pirates to help lift Tulsa to a 2-1 win over East Carolina in the series opener on Friday evening in the Collins Family Softball Complex.
All the runs in the game were in the first inning as Tulsa improved to 26-13 and 11-3 in The American. East Carolina falls to 29-13 and 6-10 in league play.
Moore got the start and the win, improving to 9-5 this season. ECU's Emma Jackson opened the game with a home run, but Moore allowed just two more hits the rest of the way. She tossed 6.1 innings and threw 127 pitches in the win. Kylee Nash picked up her second save, coming on to get the final two outs and secure the win.
When ECU did put one of Moore's pitches in play, the Tulsa defense backed her up with a slew of nice stops. This included a sliding grab from Kennedy Cramer in left field, followed immediately by a diving grab from Claira Skaggs on a hot bouncer to third. She rose and fired over to first to retire the Pirate. Shortstop Imani Edwards had a couple of slick plays of her own, including corralling a ground ball deep in the infield and still managing to catch the batter by a step.
ECU's ace, Taylor Apple, settled in after allowing two runs in the bottom of the inning. She threw a complete six innings and allowed six hits while striking out two.
MacKenzie Denson collected a pair of hits on Friday, the lone player on either team with more than one. She also came around to score. Imani Edwards had a double and an RBI. Second baseman Abby Jones also collected a double. Claira Skaggs drove in what proved to be the winning run on a fielder's choice.
TULSA 2, ECU 1
The Pirates opened the game with a bang. Emma Jackson hammered a 3-2 pitch to dead center for her ninth home run of the season, putting the Pirates immediately ahead. The next batter struck out but reached on a wild pitch. After Moore fanned the next two hitters, the Pirates picked up their last hit until the seventh with a single to center. After a flyout, Tulsa escaped down just 1-0.
MacKenzie Denson led off the bottom of the frame with an infield single to the shortstop, who tried to catch her at first but was too late and too wide, as the errant throw allowed Denson to move to second. After stealing third, Denson was driven in on an Imani Edwards double to tie the game. Haley Morgan was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corner with one out. Claira Skaggs then grounded into a fielder's choice. But it was enough to score Edwards and Tulsa went ahead 2-1. Abby Jones followed with a double, but Skaggs held a third, and both would be stranded.
The Pirates loaded the bags in the second with two outs, but a great play from Celeste Wood ended the threat. The first baseman back handed the ground ball and then dove to the bag to beat the runner for the force and end the inning. From there, ECU went down in order until the seventh, when a dropped strike three got on. But the next batter was retired.
Tulsa's best chance at adding to the lead came in the fifth when a single, fielder's choice where nobody was out, and a hit batter loaded the bags with just one away. Skaggs grounded into a fielder's choice to the second baseman, who fired home to get an out. The catcher then threw to second attempting to catch Morgan, who had to hold up briefly to avoid running into an earlier tag. Morgan beat the throw to the bag, covered by the shortstop, who was alert and realized Edwards had rounded third and was running home. Her throw was on target and Edwards was caught at the plate, ending the inning with an unconventional double play.
ECU got a one-out single in the seventh, ending Moore's night as Kylee Nash entered the circle. The senior forced a fly out from the dangerous Jackson and a ground out to end the game with Tulsa winning 2-1.
» Tulsa improves to 26-13 on the season, surpassing last season's win total.
» The Golden Hurricane improves to 11-5 in The American.
» The Hurricane has won 11 straight against the Pirates.
» TU moves to 12-2 at home, including eight straight wins.
» Maura Moore set a season-high with 10 strikeouts … second most in her career (11 vs. Memphis – 4/11/23)
» Imani Edwards collected her fifth double of the season.
» Abby Jones picked up her 12th double of the year.
Game two of the three-game series has a 2 p.m. start time on Saturday afternoon. The game will air on ESPN+.
All the runs in the game were in the first inning as Tulsa improved to 26-13 and 11-3 in The American. East Carolina falls to 29-13 and 6-10 in league play.
Moore got the start and the win, improving to 9-5 this season. ECU's Emma Jackson opened the game with a home run, but Moore allowed just two more hits the rest of the way. She tossed 6.1 innings and threw 127 pitches in the win. Kylee Nash picked up her second save, coming on to get the final two outs and secure the win.
When ECU did put one of Moore's pitches in play, the Tulsa defense backed her up with a slew of nice stops. This included a sliding grab from Kennedy Cramer in left field, followed immediately by a diving grab from Claira Skaggs on a hot bouncer to third. She rose and fired over to first to retire the Pirate. Shortstop Imani Edwards had a couple of slick plays of her own, including corralling a ground ball deep in the infield and still managing to catch the batter by a step.
ECU's ace, Taylor Apple, settled in after allowing two runs in the bottom of the inning. She threw a complete six innings and allowed six hits while striking out two.
MacKenzie Denson collected a pair of hits on Friday, the lone player on either team with more than one. She also came around to score. Imani Edwards had a double and an RBI. Second baseman Abby Jones also collected a double. Claira Skaggs drove in what proved to be the winning run on a fielder's choice.
TULSA 2, ECU 1
The Pirates opened the game with a bang. Emma Jackson hammered a 3-2 pitch to dead center for her ninth home run of the season, putting the Pirates immediately ahead. The next batter struck out but reached on a wild pitch. After Moore fanned the next two hitters, the Pirates picked up their last hit until the seventh with a single to center. After a flyout, Tulsa escaped down just 1-0.
MacKenzie Denson led off the bottom of the frame with an infield single to the shortstop, who tried to catch her at first but was too late and too wide, as the errant throw allowed Denson to move to second. After stealing third, Denson was driven in on an Imani Edwards double to tie the game. Haley Morgan was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corner with one out. Claira Skaggs then grounded into a fielder's choice. But it was enough to score Edwards and Tulsa went ahead 2-1. Abby Jones followed with a double, but Skaggs held a third, and both would be stranded.
The Pirates loaded the bags in the second with two outs, but a great play from Celeste Wood ended the threat. The first baseman back handed the ground ball and then dove to the bag to beat the runner for the force and end the inning. From there, ECU went down in order until the seventh, when a dropped strike three got on. But the next batter was retired.
Tulsa's best chance at adding to the lead came in the fifth when a single, fielder's choice where nobody was out, and a hit batter loaded the bags with just one away. Skaggs grounded into a fielder's choice to the second baseman, who fired home to get an out. The catcher then threw to second attempting to catch Morgan, who had to hold up briefly to avoid running into an earlier tag. Morgan beat the throw to the bag, covered by the shortstop, who was alert and realized Edwards had rounded third and was running home. Her throw was on target and Edwards was caught at the plate, ending the inning with an unconventional double play.
ECU got a one-out single in the seventh, ending Moore's night as Kylee Nash entered the circle. The senior forced a fly out from the dangerous Jackson and a ground out to end the game with Tulsa winning 2-1.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| ECU | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Tulsa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 2 | 6 | 0 |
» Tulsa improves to 26-13 on the season, surpassing last season's win total.
» The Golden Hurricane improves to 11-5 in The American.
» The Hurricane has won 11 straight against the Pirates.
» TU moves to 12-2 at home, including eight straight wins.
» Maura Moore set a season-high with 10 strikeouts … second most in her career (11 vs. Memphis – 4/11/23)
» Imani Edwards collected her fifth double of the season.
» Abby Jones picked up her 12th double of the year.
Game two of the three-game series has a 2 p.m. start time on Saturday afternoon. The game will air on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Moore, Maura (9-5)
L: Taylor Apple (11-4)
S: Nash, Kylee (2)
Batting:
HR: Emma Jackson 1
RBI: Emma Jackson 1
SH: Kanisha Anderson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Emma Jackson 1
HBP: Morgan Johnson 1
Batting:
2B: Edwards, Imani 1 ; Jones, Abby 1
RBI: Edwards, Imani 1 ; Skaggs, Claira 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Denson, MacKenzie 1 ; Edwards, Imani 1
SB: Denson, MacKenzie 1 ; Edwards, Imani 1
CS: Morgan, Haley 1
HBP: Morgan, Haley 2
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P/DP
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
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