Feb. 8, 2009

Box Score | Box Score

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Katie Lee pitched a no-hitter and struck out 11 batters and the Golden Hurricane offense scored five runs in the fifth inning as The University of Tulsa softball team beat Prairie View A&M 8-0 in five innings Sunday.

Lee (1-0) recorded her first career no-hitter in pitching 5.0 innings and allowing only two walks. She also struck out five in a row at one point, and the Golden Hurricane (3-2) committed no errors in the game. TU scored two runs in the second inning, one run in the third, and exploded for five runs in the fifth to close out the ballgame. Senior shortstop Kailey Yarmer had another stellar game as she went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored and she blasted her second home run of the season, a solo shot to left field in the fifth.

Freshman catcher Skylar Swanson went 2-for-3 with a run scored and smashed a double to deep left field. Freshman center fielder Jessica Stoelke scored two runs and hit a double to left center that drove in a run. Sophomore Jillian Canete hit her first career home run as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning, and senior third baseman Stephanie Chomicki went 1-for-3 with two RBI.

"It was important after our big win yesterday to get back out and play with intensity," Tulsa head coach John Bargfeldt said. "Obviously, this was not a big energy game and the crowd was not very big on Sunday morning. Our focus was to approach the game the same way, have a lot of energy and play with the same intensity. This game changes the whole attitude of the weekend, whether you finish 3-2 or 2-3, so it was big for us to get a win."

Lee's performance in the circle was one of dominance in striking out 11 batters and never really allowing the Prairie View hitters to get any solid contact on the ball. Only four batters put the ball in play - two fly outs, a pop out and a ground out to end the top of the fifth inning.

"Katie's ball was moving really well," Bargfeldt said. "The hitters had trouble making contact. Not many balls were even fouled. (Prairie View) really only got one firm ground ball to short and one fly out with good contact."

Senior left fielder Brooke Smart began the second inning with a walk, stole second base, then was driven home by Stoelke's double. After the next two batters got out, junior right fielder Lauren Lindsay reached on a fielding error by the second baseman, allowing Stoelke to score from second, but sophomore pinch runner Lauren Menke was caught trying to steal second base to end the inning.

In the third inning, Yarmer hit a one-out double down the left field line and scored on junior designated player Jackie Lawrence's single up the middle to give the Hurricane a 3-0 lead. In the fifth inning, Yarmer led off with her second home run of the season, a shot to left field. She was followed immediately by Canete's pinch hit homer to left center. Smart drew a one-out walk, but was forced out at second base as Stoelke reached on a fielder's choice.

Sophomore second baseman Kelly Chapman drew a walk, and Swanson loaded the bases with a single to the shortstop. Menke, who stayed in the ballgame after entering as a pinch runner in the second inning, drew a walk that rotated the base runners and allowed Stoelke to score from third. Chomicki then batted the seventh and eighth runs in with a single up the middle to end the game as Tulsa batted around in the inning.

The Golden Hurricane returns to the diamond next weekend at the UC Riverside aTen Construction Tournament in Riverside, Calif.