Skaggs Smashes Grand Slam to Beat Lamar

Saturday, February 15

Beaumont, Texas

9:30 a.m.

Tulsa

5-3

Lamar

5-2

Tulsa

Lamar

Skaggs Smashes Grand Slam to Beat Lamar

2/16/2025 3:39:00 AM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score - at Lamar (PDF)Box Score - vs. Tennessee (PDF)

Golden Hurricane fall short against No. 6 Tennessee

BEAUMONT, Texas – Senior third baseman Claira Skaggs homered twice in her final two at-bats of Saturday's opening games, including a grand slam, to lift Tulsa to a 6-2 victory. The Golden Hurricane ended the day with an 8-0 loss to No. 6 Tennessee in six innings.

Tulsa moves to 5-4 on the season after splitting the two games. Tennessee won its ninth straight and moved to 9-1 on the season, while Lamar fell to 5-2.

Maura Moore (4-1) picked up another win with her third complete game of the season. She allowed just two runs on five hits spread across seven innings of work. The senior didn't walk a batter and struck out four. Brinly Maples (1-3) and Alexa Hopkins each pitched 3.0 innings in the loss to Tennessee, with Maples going down as the pitcher of record. She pitched the first three innings, allowing five runs, al earned, on four hits with three walks and strikeouts. Hopkins also gave up four hits, but only three runs, two earned. She also walked three but only struck out one.

Skaggs was the hero in game one. Her solo shot in the sixth was the first run of the game. The following inning, when Tulsa had tied the game at 2-2, she blew it open with a grand slam, her second home run of the game and season. Annika Dill had Tulsa's lone other RBI on the day, a single to center that tied the game in the top of the seventh.

HOW IT HAPPENED – Game One
The early Saturday contest was a pitcher's dual until the final two innings. Moore allowed only two hits, total in the first two innings.

Skaggs would play the hero on Saturday, but she also broke the ice with a solo shot in the top of the sixth with one out. Moore allowed just two hits in California. Skaggs took a one-out pitch and delivered it over the field in right for TU to ahead.

Lamar responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. A double and walk had runners on the corner with nobody on. The Eagle tied the game with an RBI single to tie the game. A fielder's to the pitcher from the team brought in the leading run.

The Hurricane needed a response in the seventh inning, and TU fans got just that. Amber Turner led off the pivotal inning with a double to left. After a sacrifice bunt moved her to third, a strikeout for the second out of the inning put Tulsa on the edge of a loss.

Instead, consecutive walks loaded the bases, and Annika Dill tied the game with a single to center field. Not to be undone, Skaggs followed with a home run to right field, her grand slam blowing the game open as Tulsa went on for the 6-2 win.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Tulsa	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	6	11	1
Lamar	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	5	0

HOW IT HAPPENED – Game Two
Tennessee scored three in the first, two in the third, a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to win 8-0 in just six innings in the second game of the day.

The first three runs happened before you could blink. A leadoff walk to open the game, followed by a hit batter put two on before anyone else got involved. Then, Taylor Pannell took Tulsa deep to let center, giving the Lady Volunteers a 3-0 lead.

Walks got Tulsa in trouble again in the third as the first two batters on base with nobody out. A double steal got both in scoring position. The lead runner was thrown out on a 7-2 double play as freshman left fielder Aliya Scarborough tracked down a fly ball before connecting with catcher Amber Turner to nail the runner attempting to tag up from third and score.

With two outs, it looked as if TU might escape with no damage. However, a two-out double scored a run to give Tennessee a 4-0 lead. Another single scored the game's fifth run.

The Lady Vols added a run in the fifth. In the sixth, a single and walk put two on base to lead off the bottom of the frame. A double steal and error allowed one runner to game-ending run sat at second. A groundout advanced the runner to third. A groundout to first scored the game's eighth run and final run.

Tulsa needed a run in the bottom of the frame to advance to the seventh inning, but went down in order, ending the contest.

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

Tulsa heads to Lake Charles, La. for the finale of the weekend and the I-10 Border Classic. Tulsa faces McNeese State in the lone game on Sunday. First pitch is set for noon.