Golden Hurricane Falls in Extras to Open Series

Friday, April 25

San Antonio, Texas

4:00 p.m.

Tulsa

19-28, 7-15

UTSA

20-29, 5-17

Tulsa

UTSA

Photo by: Dani Fey

Golden Hurricane Falls in Extras to Open Series

4/25/2025 7:23:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The University of Tulsa softball team dropped the series opener 4-3 at UTSA in extra innings on Friday afternoon at Roadrunner field.

The Golden Hurricane (19-28, 7-15 The American) tied the game in the seventh with three runs but could not bring another run home despite getting the leading run to third in the seventh and eighth with the game tied. UTSA (20-29, 5-17 The American) won the game with a double to right center, scoring the winning run from first.

The Hurricane had a baserunner on with fewer than two outs in every inning but the first, however failed to score until the seventh. Maci Cole saw her 18-game hitting streak come to an end in the loss. Tulsa outhit the Roadrunners 9-6 and left 10 on-base, including the bags loaded in the third, compared to three stranded from the Roadrunners. UTSA committed the game's only error.

Maura Moore tossed 4.2 innings in her start and did not factor in the decision. She allowed all three runs on four hits with a pair of walks. Moore gave up just one hit, a home run, through the first four innings of the contest. Alexa Hopkins (2-7) came on in the bottom of the fifth eventually was tagged with the loss. Hopkins allowed the one run and gave up just two hits. She struck out one and walked one.

Ava Eldridge (7-8) got the win for UTSA. She briefly left for one batter in the seventh, but returned after TU tied the game. She pitched 8.0 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Meredith Schmitt faced one batter and gave up a game-tying single.

All of Tulsa's hits were singles. Annika Dill, Paige Knight and Whitney Holcomb each had a pair of hits. Dill drove in a run and then Knight tied the game in the seventh with a two-RBI single. Faith Russell, Danielle Burns and Elle Rouse had the other three hits. Celeste Wood, Knight and Holcomb each drew walks, and Wood and Burns were hit by pitches.

HOW IT HAPPENED
UTSA took the lead in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs, Crislyne Moreno launched a solo home run to left center to give the Roadrunners a 1-0 lead. That would be the only hit for the hosts until the fifth inning. UTSA only had another baserunner in that stretch thanks to a walk in the second.

The Hurricane loaded the bases in the third inning but failed to score. Tulsa also did not take advantage of a leadoff single in the fifth inning with the top of the lineup up.

The Roadrunners added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth. UTSA got a pair of singles that sandwiched two popups. Then a walk loaded the bags with two outs. Sabrina Wick drove the first pitch she saw up the middle, scoring two to go ahead 3-0. Hopkins came in to pitch and got the next batter to ground out back to her in the circle.

Tulsa came to the plate in the seventh needing a trio of runs to extend the game. Holcomb drew a leadoff walk. After a strikeout, Cole reached on a fielder's choice as the second out was retired. Faith Russell kept the game alive with a single to left, and then Wood drew a walk to load the bags. Dill came through with her second hit of the game on a bloop single that dropped in front of the left fielder and scored Cole to cut the deficit to 3-1, forcing a UTSA pitching change.

Knight was the first batter Schmitt saw, and the graduate third baseman laced a single to center that scored both Russell and Wood to tie the game. Starter Eldridge returned to the game and got a runner attempting to steal second to escape the inning.

TU got runners on the corner with one out in the eighth. However, a popup and a groundout ended the threat. UTSA ended the game in the bottom of the frame. A one-out walk and a double to right center scored the runner and walked it off.