Senior Brooke Smart was 3-for-4 with two RBI for the Golden Hurricane Wednesday at Oklahoma.

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Softball Loses at Oklahoma, 5-3

Golden Hurricane opens Conference USA play at home against UCF Saturday

March 5, 2009

Box Score | Box Score

NORMAN, Okla. - Senior Brooke Smart went 3-for-4 with two RBI and junior Lauren Lindsay got a pair of hits and scored two runs, but The University of Tulsa softball team dropped a 5-3 decision to Oklahoma Wednesday evening at the OU Softball Complex.

The Golden Hurricane (12-5) scored three runs on nine hits and committed no errors, while the Sooners scored its five runs also on nine hits with zero errors. Senior Katie Lee (2-2) absorbed the loss for Tulsa and OU pitcher Allee Allen (6-1) earned the win.

Tulsa got things started with two runs in the top of the first inning, but Oklahoma answered with two of its own off of a two-out home run. The Sooners got another homer in the fourth and a couple of runs in the fifth with outs. The Hurricane came back and got another run in the sixth inning in its own mini-two-out rally, but it was not enough in the end.

"I thought we hit the ball pretty well and we played much better defense than we did last week," Tulsa Head Coach John Bargfeldt said, referencing the Hurricane's 7-3 loss to Oklahoma last Wednesday in Tulsa. "They scored four of their five runs with two outs, and we were close to getting out of some tough innings. We got some clutch hits in the sixth when we got another run with two outs. I was proud that we kept fighting, down 5-2, and we didn't give up. Both teams made some clutch hits with two outs in the game."

Lindsay took a 3-2 ball on the 10th pitch of her at-bat to lead off the first inning with a walk. Senior shortstop Kailey Yarmer was hit by a pitch and junior first baseman Vanessa Vice walked to load the bases with one out. Smart followed with a single to right field, scoring Lindsay and Yarmer.

In the bottom of the first for Oklahoma, shortstop Amber Flores hit a one-out single to right field and moved to second on a ground out. With two outs, catcher Lindsey Vandever hit a home run to left field to knot the score at two apiece.

Tulsa could not do much on offense after the first inning, getting at least one hit in each of the second through fifth innings, but was unable to put together multiple hits and push runs across the plate.

Designated player Wendy Trott homered to right field with one out in the fourth inning to give OU a 3-2 lead. The Sooners also got a pair of runs in the fifth, beginning with a double by Flores sandwiched between two ground outs. A double and a single followed, scoring one run and leaving runners at first and third with two outs. The baserunner on first broke to steal second, and Tulsa, betting on its chances to throw out the runner at second with two outs on the board, threw down to second base and then tried to get the runner at home, but the play was too late. Oklahoma led 5-2 after five.

The Golden Hurricane, down three runs with six outs to play, did not plan to go quietly, however, and was able to string hits together and picked up another run in the sixth. Senior third baseman Stephanie Chomicki led off with a bunt single, and with one out, Lindsay hit into a fielder's choice. Junior catcher Christian Timmons singled down the right field line and Lindsay advanced to second base with two outs.

Yarmer then hit a single to right field, scoring Lindsay from second, and Yarmer and Timmons advanced to second and third base, respectively, on the throw home. However, Vice grounded out to end the inning, and TU went down in order in the seventh.

The Golden Hurricane opens Conference USA play at home against UCF with a double header Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at noon. Tickets for TU softball are $6 for adults and $4 for youth high school and younger, and can be purchased in person at the TU Athletics Ticket Office, by calling (918) 631-GoTU, or on the web by visiting www.TulsaHurricane.com.