March 9, 2013

Box Score - Game 1

Box Score Game 2

Tulsa, Oklahoma - Tulsa junior Aimee Creger tossed 14 strikeouts and had six RBI to lead the 21st-ranked Golden Hurricane (18-5, 2-0) in a two-game sweep of the Marshall Thundering Herd (10-11, 0-2) in a Conference USA doubleheader at the Collins Family Softball Complex Saturday afternoon. Tulsa defeated the Herd 6-0 in the first game and 9-6 in the nightcap of the three-game series.

In the first of game, Tulsa surged past Marshall with a five-run sixth inning, which gave Tulsa the 6-0 lead. A blast into left-center field from Shelby Blanton drove in two runs and was followed up by a Cassidy Bowen double, which brought in one run, and RBI singles from Caitlin Everett and Samantha Cobb.

Everett went 3-4 in the contest, with one RBI, one run scored, and two stolen bases. Marshall had no answers for TU pitcher Aimee Creger, as the junior tossed a complete game in the opener, finishing with 14 strikeouts and allowing just three hits. Creger is now 10-1 on the year and has 104 K's.

The Hurricane took a 1-0 lead the first inning when Jill Barrett scored as Lacey Middlebrooks got the RBI on a fielder's choice.

Thundering Herd starting pitcher Andi Williamson went five and one-third innings, giving up seven hits and six earned runs, while striking out three. In the second contest, Williamson went four and one-third inning, giving up seven runs and seven walks.

An RBI double into the left-center gap from Cierra Hughes scored Bowen, and was followed by another Everett RBI to put the Hurricane ahead at 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Barrett kept the momentum going with an RBI double of her own to give Tulsa a 6-4 advantage. Creger then boomed her third homerun of the season, a three-run shot to left-center to make it 9-4.

Marshall made it closer when Emileigh Cooper hit a two-run homerun in the top of the sixth inning to make the score 9-6.

The game went back-and-forth in its early stages. A Creger two RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the first inning gave Tulsa the early 2-0 lead. The next score came on a Jazmine Valle RBI single for the Thundering Herd, which trimmed the TU lead to 2-1 in the third inning. A three-run homer from shortstop Raquel Escareno off of Middlebrooks in the top of the fourth inning gave Marshall their first lead of the day at 4-2. Tulsa answered with another RBI from Creger on a dribbler to the second baseman to narrow the Thundering Herd lead to 4-3.

Middlebrooks threw five and one-third innings and allowed six earned runs and seven hits, while freshman Caitlin Sill worked the final 1.2 innings and got the save for the Hurricane.

Creger went 2-4 with six RBI's, Everett scored three runs, and Barrett was 2-3 with one run and one RBI.

Tulsa and Marshall will be back on the diamond Sunday afternoon for a 1:00 pm game.