Friday, February 28
Tulsa, Okla.
2:30 p.m.
Tulsa
8-8
6
vs
5
Kansas City
0-11
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Kansas City
0
3
0
0
2
0
0
5
10
2
Tulsa
2
0
0
0
2
0
2
6
7
3
Photo by: Bill Powell
Golden Hurricane Sweeps First Day of Hurricane Classic
2/28/2025 10:15:00 PM | Softball
TULSA, Okla. – The University of Tulsa softball team celebrated the start of the Hurricane Classic with a pair of wins over Kansas City and Drake at the Collins Family Softball Complex on Friday afternoon. The Golden Hurricane overcame a late deficit to beat the Roos 6-5 in walk-off fashion and then returned to beat the Bulldogs 4-2 in the nightcap.
Tulsa improves to 9-8 on the season with the two wins and moves to 3-0 at home in 2025. Drake split the day and heads to Sunday with a 3-8 record, while KC still seeks its first win at 0-11.
Alexa Hopkins (1-0) picked up her first win of the season in the opener. She came on in relief for starter Maura Moore and allowed just one hit with a walk in three innings of work. Hopkins also struck out a batter as she kept the Roos at bay and allowed for the comeback. Moore allowed five runs on nine hits with four strikeouts.
Brinly Maples (3-3) allowed four hits and two runs with five strikeouts in the win over Drake as she spun her third complete game of the season.
Claira Skaggs was the hero of game one, driving in four of Tulsa's six runs, including the winning run on a single in the seventh. In her first at-bat, Skaggs hit her third home run of the year, a two-run shot off the roof of the softball building beyond the right field fence. She also drove in a run with a sacrifice on a lineout to left in the fifth. Maci Cole collected two hits and scored twice in the win, and Tallulah Pascucci came through to score twice.
Dill had a two-run homer of her own in game two, giving Tulsa a 2-1 lead over the Bulldogs, her second of her career. Celeste Wood and Amber Turner each drove in runs in the sixth inning of the win over Drake. Wood's single proved to be the game-winning run.
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game One
Tulsa jumped on the Roos early, taking the lead in the first inning. Maci Cole reached on an error. After a strikeout and fielder's choice, Skaggs came to the plate with two away. The third baseman gave the Hurricane the lead with a two-run moon shot that landed off the roof of the locker room in right.
Kansas City did not roll over, though. The Roos struck back in the top of the second to take the lead. Back-to-back singles to lead the inning and a sacrifice bunt had the visitors threatening. With just one out, a double tied the game. An infield single put runners on the corner with two outs, when the Roos took the 3-2 lead by executing a double steal.
The score remained that way until the fifth, when KC added to its lead. Consecutive singles chased Moore from the game. Then a wild pitch put both runners in scoring position before a bases clearing double gave the Roos a 5-2 lead.
TU grabbed those two runs right back. Tallulah Pascucci walked to start the frame. Consecutive singles from Cole and Russell scored Pascucci and moved Cole to second. Skaggs eventually ripped a line drive to left that was deep enough to score Cole, who advanced to third on the first out of the frame.
The Roos were held scoreless in the sixth and seventh, giving Tulsa one last at-bat in the bottom of the seventh. Aliya Scarborough pinch hit with one out in the inning and singled through the right side to give TU some life. Pascucci reentered to run. An infield single moved Pascucci to second, and she came around to score as the third baseman sailed her throw wide, tying the game at 5-5.
A two-out walk from Dill loaded the bases for Skaggs. She came through earlier in the game, and she came through again for Tulsa to win it. The senior singled through the right side, bringing in Cole to walk-off the Roos.
The Roos outhit Tulsa 10-7 in the lone matchup this season. Tulsa was more patient at the plate, drawing five walks to Kansas City's one. Both teams struck out five times.
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game Two
Whereas game one had runs and hits, the second game was more of a defensive battle with solid pitching. The first hit of the evening didn't come until the top of the fourth inning.
Emma Dighton did the honors with a double down the left field line. She moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on an Ava Curry sacrifice fly to put the Bulldogs up 1-0. Tulsa managed to work its way out of an error that put another runner on with just one out to escape with no further damage.
It took Tulsa all of two at-bats to switch the game. Faith Russell singled up the middle to bring in Dill, who homered for the second time this season, her high fly ball to left just clearing the fence to give TU a 2-1 lead.
Drake tied the game back up in the fifth. Carey Koenig singled to third to keep the frame alive with two outs. Her hard work was rewarded as Frankie Rita tripled down the right field line to score Koenig.
After a pair of scoreless frames, Tulsa came up in the bottom of the sixth and again took the lead late. Cole drew a walk to lead off proceedings. After a strikeout, Dill reached on a fielding error from the shortstop. Another strikeout had Tulsa facing the potential of leaving two on base. Instead, Wood drove a single through the right side to bring home Cole, and then Turner ripped a ball to third that took a nasty bounce the third baseman had no chance at, getting to the outfield and bringing home Dill to make it 4-2.
Maples grabbed the complete game with a relatively clean seventh. Wood moved to first base at the beginning of the inning and made a great play for the first out. A groundout to second had Tulsa on the verge. After a walk, Maples induced a ground ball to third. Skaggs gathered cleanly and threw over to Wood for the final out.
Tulsa and Drake were pretty even on the night. Each team collected four hits, and the Bulldogs had just one more error than the Hurricane. Tulsa had more chances with runners in scoring position and took advantage, batting 2-of-5 (.400), while Drake was hitless in its two opportunities.
Tulsa completes the Hurricane Classic with a Saturday doubleheader against Drake on ESPN+. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in game one, with the second set to follow at 3:30, or roughly 35 minutes after the completion of game one.
Tulsa improves to 9-8 on the season with the two wins and moves to 3-0 at home in 2025. Drake split the day and heads to Sunday with a 3-8 record, while KC still seeks its first win at 0-11.
Alexa Hopkins (1-0) picked up her first win of the season in the opener. She came on in relief for starter Maura Moore and allowed just one hit with a walk in three innings of work. Hopkins also struck out a batter as she kept the Roos at bay and allowed for the comeback. Moore allowed five runs on nine hits with four strikeouts.
Brinly Maples (3-3) allowed four hits and two runs with five strikeouts in the win over Drake as she spun her third complete game of the season.
Claira Skaggs was the hero of game one, driving in four of Tulsa's six runs, including the winning run on a single in the seventh. In her first at-bat, Skaggs hit her third home run of the year, a two-run shot off the roof of the softball building beyond the right field fence. She also drove in a run with a sacrifice on a lineout to left in the fifth. Maci Cole collected two hits and scored twice in the win, and Tallulah Pascucci came through to score twice.
Dill had a two-run homer of her own in game two, giving Tulsa a 2-1 lead over the Bulldogs, her second of her career. Celeste Wood and Amber Turner each drove in runs in the sixth inning of the win over Drake. Wood's single proved to be the game-winning run.
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game One
Tulsa jumped on the Roos early, taking the lead in the first inning. Maci Cole reached on an error. After a strikeout and fielder's choice, Skaggs came to the plate with two away. The third baseman gave the Hurricane the lead with a two-run moon shot that landed off the roof of the locker room in right.
Kansas City did not roll over, though. The Roos struck back in the top of the second to take the lead. Back-to-back singles to lead the inning and a sacrifice bunt had the visitors threatening. With just one out, a double tied the game. An infield single put runners on the corner with two outs, when the Roos took the 3-2 lead by executing a double steal.
The score remained that way until the fifth, when KC added to its lead. Consecutive singles chased Moore from the game. Then a wild pitch put both runners in scoring position before a bases clearing double gave the Roos a 5-2 lead.
TU grabbed those two runs right back. Tallulah Pascucci walked to start the frame. Consecutive singles from Cole and Russell scored Pascucci and moved Cole to second. Skaggs eventually ripped a line drive to left that was deep enough to score Cole, who advanced to third on the first out of the frame.
The Roos were held scoreless in the sixth and seventh, giving Tulsa one last at-bat in the bottom of the seventh. Aliya Scarborough pinch hit with one out in the inning and singled through the right side to give TU some life. Pascucci reentered to run. An infield single moved Pascucci to second, and she came around to score as the third baseman sailed her throw wide, tying the game at 5-5.
A two-out walk from Dill loaded the bases for Skaggs. She came through earlier in the game, and she came through again for Tulsa to win it. The senior singled through the right side, bringing in Cole to walk-off the Roos.
The Roos outhit Tulsa 10-7 in the lone matchup this season. Tulsa was more patient at the plate, drawing five walks to Kansas City's one. Both teams struck out five times.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| KC | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| Tulsa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 3 |
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game Two
Whereas game one had runs and hits, the second game was more of a defensive battle with solid pitching. The first hit of the evening didn't come until the top of the fourth inning.
Emma Dighton did the honors with a double down the left field line. She moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on an Ava Curry sacrifice fly to put the Bulldogs up 1-0. Tulsa managed to work its way out of an error that put another runner on with just one out to escape with no further damage.
It took Tulsa all of two at-bats to switch the game. Faith Russell singled up the middle to bring in Dill, who homered for the second time this season, her high fly ball to left just clearing the fence to give TU a 2-1 lead.
Drake tied the game back up in the fifth. Carey Koenig singled to third to keep the frame alive with two outs. Her hard work was rewarded as Frankie Rita tripled down the right field line to score Koenig.
After a pair of scoreless frames, Tulsa came up in the bottom of the sixth and again took the lead late. Cole drew a walk to lead off proceedings. After a strikeout, Dill reached on a fielding error from the shortstop. Another strikeout had Tulsa facing the potential of leaving two on base. Instead, Wood drove a single through the right side to bring home Cole, and then Turner ripped a ball to third that took a nasty bounce the third baseman had no chance at, getting to the outfield and bringing home Dill to make it 4-2.
Maples grabbed the complete game with a relatively clean seventh. Wood moved to first base at the beginning of the inning and made a great play for the first out. A groundout to second had Tulsa on the verge. After a walk, Maples induced a ground ball to third. Skaggs gathered cleanly and threw over to Wood for the final out.
Tulsa and Drake were pretty even on the night. Each team collected four hits, and the Bulldogs had just one more error than the Hurricane. Tulsa had more chances with runners in scoring position and took advantage, batting 2-of-5 (.400), while Drake was hitless in its two opportunities.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| Drake | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Tulsa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | X | 4 | 4 | 1 |
Tulsa completes the Hurricane Classic with a Saturday doubleheader against Drake on ESPN+. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in game one, with the second set to follow at 3:30, or roughly 35 minutes after the completion of game one.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hopkins, Alexa (1-0)
L: Duvall,Maddy (0-4)
Batting:
2B: Castillo,Derika 1 ; Woods,Briona 1 ; Navarro,Elleana 1
RBI: Woods,Briona 2 ; Navarro,Elleana 2
SH: Bustamante,Leilani 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Parker,Lauren 1 ; Lickel,Gianna 1 ; Noble,Katie 1 ; Maciel,Katelyn 1 ; Navarro,Elleana 1
SB: Parker,Lauren 1 ; Navarro,Elleana 1
Batting:
HR: Skaggs, Claira 1
RBI: Russell , Faith 1 ; Skaggs, Claira 4
SF: Skaggs, Claira 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cole, Maci 2 ; Dill, Annika 1 ; Skaggs, Claira 1 ; Pascucci, Tallulah 2
SB: Cole, Maci 1
CS: Russell , Faith 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
2b/dh
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
C/INF
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
C/UT
/ Softball
IF
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