Wednesday, March 19
Cullowhee, N.C.
1:00 p.m.
Tulsa
15-13
9
at
7
Western Carolina
15-13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Tulsa
6
3
0
0
0
0
0
9
9
1
Western Carolina
0
0
4
1
2
0
0
7
14
0
Golden Hurricane Sweeps Midweek Doubleheader with Western Carolina
3/19/2025 9:45:00 PM | Softball
Cullowhee, N.C. – The University of Tulsa softball team's offense was busy in a pair of wins in a doubleheader at Western Carolina on Wednesday afternoon. The Hurricane jumped ahead early in game one and held on for a 9-7 victory and then followed with a comfortable 8-3 win in the second contest.
The Golden Hurricane improves to 16-13 on the season while Western Carolina dropped to 15-14 after winning a doubleheader of their own the day before. The Hurricane has three straight wins heading into the weekend series at UAB.
TU exploded in the first two innings of game one, grabbing a 9-0 lead before the Catamounts came to bat for the second time. Brinly Maples (4-4) got the win after throwing 3.2 innings and allowing five runs on nine hits. She struck out a pair. Abby Hayes tossed 1.1 innings and was tagged for two runs, and Alexa Hopkins pitched a clean 2.0 innings, allowing just a single hit.
Maura Moore (11-6) spun five innings in game two, grabbing the start and win. She allowed three runs, all unearned, on six hits with a trio of strikeouts. Hopkins came on in relief and threw the final two innings. She allowed just two hits and struck out a batter. She finished the day with four scoreless innings, allowing just three hits across her two appearances.
Celeste Wood homered for the fifth time this season, while Amber Turner smashed homer number two of her career. Wood also joined Maci Cole and Whitney Holcomb in recording doubles. Holcomb, Paige Knight and Faith Russell all had sacrifices in the win. Turner, Faith Russell and Elle Rouse all had multi-hit games.
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game One
Tulsa did all its scoring in the first two innings and got to work right away. Cole drew a leadoff walk and Russell singled to bring up Wood. The team's leader in homers notched her fifth of the season with a 3-run shot to center to put TU ahead 3-0. This triggered a pitching change for Western Carolina, though Tulsa did not slow down.
After a strikeout for out one, three walks in a row loaded the bases. A single from Rouse drove in Knight and Dill, and a groundout from Holcomb drove Brookley Foster home to put TU ahead 6-0. After another walk, the second administered to Cole in the first inning, Russell picked up her second hit to load the bases again, but Tulsa left them stranded this time.
The Hurricane got right back to work in the second with leadoff singles and then a sacrifice bunt from Knight to move Turner and Dill both into scoring position. Foster drove in Turner with a groundout to short for the second out of the frame. Rouse drove in the eighth run of the game with a single through the right side, advancing to second on an interference call. This set up the RBI opportunity for Holcomb, who brought Rouse in for the third run of the inning and ninth of the game with her second double this season.
The Catamounts mounted their comeback in the bottom of the third. Three straight singles to lead off the inning loaded the bases. After a strikeout for the first out, Rylee Butler cleared the bases with a grand slam to cut the TU lead to 9-4.
A leadoff double in the bottom of the fourth followed by two singles with two outs brought in the fifth run of the game. Hayes replaced Maples after the first single. Western Carolina added the final two runs in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run home run to cut the lead to 9-7.
Despite the momentum, the Catamounts did not score again, and Tulsa held on for the 9-7 win.
Tulsa was outhit 14-9 in the win and committed the game's only error. Russell and Rouse each recorded two hits. Wood and Rouse drove in three runs apiece, and Holcomb drove in a pair.
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game Two
In game two, the Hurricane again took a big lead, but without the massive inning. This time, the Catamounts never really threatened Tulsa. TU took a 1-0 lead in the second inning thanks to a pair of WCU errors. With two away, Rouse reached safely on a fielding error by the shortstop. Danielle Burns came up and benefited on a throwing error from the third baseman, allowing Burns to reach safely and advance to second, while Rouse scored the opening run.
Tuner put Tulsa ahead 3-0 in the third with her second career home run. Wood got on base with a one-out walk. After a strikeout for the second out of the inning, Turner stepped to the plate. The catcher liked the first pitch she saw and deposited it over the fence in left.
The lead increased to 5-0 in the fourth. A leadoff Rouse single and a walk to Burns put Tulsa in good position to add to the lead. Tallulah Pascucci came in to run for Burns. Rouse and Pascucci were moved up to third and second thanks to a Russell sacrifice bunt. Cole got in on the action with a double to right field, her second of the season, to score both runners.
Burns had played a part in the first run of the game, and she got her deserved RBIs in the top of the fifth. Turner singled to lead off the inning, and then later stole second with one out. A walk to Foster and a groundout put Turner and Foster in scoring position for Burns. The senior took a 1-1 pitch to right center to drive in two and give TU the 7-0 lead.
The Catamounts finally got to Moore in the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff error was followed by consecutive strikeouts. But then, Western Carolina found a rhythm with consecutive singles to score one run, and then a two-RBI double to cut the TU lead to 7-3. That would be all the scoring for WCU. Hopkins would come in to pitch the final two innings, allowing just one hit.
Tulsa scored its eighth and final run of the game in the seventh inning. Knight singled to lead off the inning, but the next two betters were retired. With two outs, Burns drew a walk, and then Russell picked up an RBI with a single to left, scoring Knight.
Western Carolina got a one-out walk and single in the bottom of the frame. However, Hopkins got groundouts to herself and shortstop to end the game with Tulsa ahead 8-3.
Hits were even 8-8 in game two of the series and each team committed a pair of errors. Cole collected a pair of RBIs, while Burns drove home three. Cole and Turner recorded two hits each.
UP NEXT
The Golden Hurricane heads to Birmingham, Ala. for a three-game series with UAB this weekend. First pitch for the Friday series opener is set for 5 that evening. Saturday will start at 1 p.m. and Sunday at noon. All three games will air on ESPN+.
The Golden Hurricane improves to 16-13 on the season while Western Carolina dropped to 15-14 after winning a doubleheader of their own the day before. The Hurricane has three straight wins heading into the weekend series at UAB.
TU exploded in the first two innings of game one, grabbing a 9-0 lead before the Catamounts came to bat for the second time. Brinly Maples (4-4) got the win after throwing 3.2 innings and allowing five runs on nine hits. She struck out a pair. Abby Hayes tossed 1.1 innings and was tagged for two runs, and Alexa Hopkins pitched a clean 2.0 innings, allowing just a single hit.
Maura Moore (11-6) spun five innings in game two, grabbing the start and win. She allowed three runs, all unearned, on six hits with a trio of strikeouts. Hopkins came on in relief and threw the final two innings. She allowed just two hits and struck out a batter. She finished the day with four scoreless innings, allowing just three hits across her two appearances.
Celeste Wood homered for the fifth time this season, while Amber Turner smashed homer number two of her career. Wood also joined Maci Cole and Whitney Holcomb in recording doubles. Holcomb, Paige Knight and Faith Russell all had sacrifices in the win. Turner, Faith Russell and Elle Rouse all had multi-hit games.
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game One
Tulsa did all its scoring in the first two innings and got to work right away. Cole drew a leadoff walk and Russell singled to bring up Wood. The team's leader in homers notched her fifth of the season with a 3-run shot to center to put TU ahead 3-0. This triggered a pitching change for Western Carolina, though Tulsa did not slow down.
After a strikeout for out one, three walks in a row loaded the bases. A single from Rouse drove in Knight and Dill, and a groundout from Holcomb drove Brookley Foster home to put TU ahead 6-0. After another walk, the second administered to Cole in the first inning, Russell picked up her second hit to load the bases again, but Tulsa left them stranded this time.
The Hurricane got right back to work in the second with leadoff singles and then a sacrifice bunt from Knight to move Turner and Dill both into scoring position. Foster drove in Turner with a groundout to short for the second out of the frame. Rouse drove in the eighth run of the game with a single through the right side, advancing to second on an interference call. This set up the RBI opportunity for Holcomb, who brought Rouse in for the third run of the inning and ninth of the game with her second double this season.
The Catamounts mounted their comeback in the bottom of the third. Three straight singles to lead off the inning loaded the bases. After a strikeout for the first out, Rylee Butler cleared the bases with a grand slam to cut the TU lead to 9-4.
A leadoff double in the bottom of the fourth followed by two singles with two outs brought in the fifth run of the game. Hayes replaced Maples after the first single. Western Carolina added the final two runs in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run home run to cut the lead to 9-7.
Despite the momentum, the Catamounts did not score again, and Tulsa held on for the 9-7 win.
Tulsa was outhit 14-9 in the win and committed the game's only error. Russell and Rouse each recorded two hits. Wood and Rouse drove in three runs apiece, and Holcomb drove in a pair.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| Tulsa | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 1 |
| WCU | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 |
HOW IT HAPPENED – Game Two
In game two, the Hurricane again took a big lead, but without the massive inning. This time, the Catamounts never really threatened Tulsa. TU took a 1-0 lead in the second inning thanks to a pair of WCU errors. With two away, Rouse reached safely on a fielding error by the shortstop. Danielle Burns came up and benefited on a throwing error from the third baseman, allowing Burns to reach safely and advance to second, while Rouse scored the opening run.
Tuner put Tulsa ahead 3-0 in the third with her second career home run. Wood got on base with a one-out walk. After a strikeout for the second out of the inning, Turner stepped to the plate. The catcher liked the first pitch she saw and deposited it over the fence in left.
The lead increased to 5-0 in the fourth. A leadoff Rouse single and a walk to Burns put Tulsa in good position to add to the lead. Tallulah Pascucci came in to run for Burns. Rouse and Pascucci were moved up to third and second thanks to a Russell sacrifice bunt. Cole got in on the action with a double to right field, her second of the season, to score both runners.
Burns had played a part in the first run of the game, and she got her deserved RBIs in the top of the fifth. Turner singled to lead off the inning, and then later stole second with one out. A walk to Foster and a groundout put Turner and Foster in scoring position for Burns. The senior took a 1-1 pitch to right center to drive in two and give TU the 7-0 lead.
The Catamounts finally got to Moore in the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff error was followed by consecutive strikeouts. But then, Western Carolina found a rhythm with consecutive singles to score one run, and then a two-RBI double to cut the TU lead to 7-3. That would be all the scoring for WCU. Hopkins would come in to pitch the final two innings, allowing just one hit.
Tulsa scored its eighth and final run of the game in the seventh inning. Knight singled to lead off the inning, but the next two betters were retired. With two outs, Burns drew a walk, and then Russell picked up an RBI with a single to left, scoring Knight.
Western Carolina got a one-out walk and single in the bottom of the frame. However, Hopkins got groundouts to herself and shortstop to end the game with Tulsa ahead 8-3.
Hits were even 8-8 in game two of the series and each team committed a pair of errors. Cole collected a pair of RBIs, while Burns drove home three. Cole and Turner recorded two hits each.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
| Tulsa | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
| WCU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
UP NEXT
The Golden Hurricane heads to Birmingham, Ala. for a three-game series with UAB this weekend. First pitch for the Friday series opener is set for 5 that evening. Saturday will start at 1 p.m. and Sunday at noon. All three games will air on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Maples, Brinly (4-4)
L: Riley Pennington (0-1)
S: Hopkins, Alexa (2)
Batting:
2B: Holcomb, Whitney 1
HR: Wood, Celeste 1
RBI: Wood, Celeste 3 ; Foster, Brookley 1 ; Rouse, Elle 3 ; Holcomb, Whitney 2
SH: Knight, Paige 1 ; Holcomb, Whitney 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cole, Maci 1 ; Russell , Faith 1 ; Wood, Celeste 1 ; Turner, Amber 1 ; Dill, Annika 2 ; Knight, Paige 1 ; Foster, Brookley 1 ; Rouse, Elle 1
Batting:
2B: Sydney Dirks 1
HR: Rylee Butler 1 ; Sydney Dirks 1
RBI: Lily Bell 1 ; Rylee Butler 4 ; Sydney Dirks 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Lily Bell 1 ; Rylee Butler 1 ; Natalie Henry 1 ; Sydney Dirks 2 ; Taylor Waitley 1 ; Tatum Martin 1
CS: Lily Bell 1
HBP: Natalie Henry 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
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INF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballC/UT
/ SoftballIF
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