Tulsa Sweeps Houston in Doubleheader

Originally Published: Apr 17, 2010 8:12 PM CDT

Oklahoma Sports Staff

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Tulsa swept its doubleheader with Houston, 8-4, and, 7-1, Saturday.

TU 8 Houston 4

The Tulsa softball team did not register a hit in the first four innings, but erupted late in the contest to pick up the win.

Houston pitcher Amanda Crabtree held the Golden Hurricane in check early in the game and retired the first nine batters she faced while the Cougars built a 4-0 lead. Crabtree’s performance started unraveling in the fourth with two consecutive walks, and things fell apart after that.

After the first two batters of the fifth inning reached on singles, Skylar Swanson reached on a throwing error that drove home TU’s first run. Caitlin Everett followed with a two-run double, and Vanessa Vice drove her in later in the inning for an unearned run to tie the game at 4-4.

In the sixth inning, Houston committed another costly throwing error that prolonged the inning. With runners at second and third with two outs, the Cougars intentionally walked Lauren Lindsay to load the bases. Samantha Cobb made them pay and broke the game open with a grand slam, accounting for four more unearned runs to give the Hurricane its first lead of the night.

Kalynn Schrock shut Houston down in the final inning to seal the victory. Schrock earned a win after pitching four innings of relief and surrendering just one hit.

Jackie Lawrence started the game for TU, but had control problems from the beginning. Lawrence walked the first two batters of the game, and Reina Garber followed with a three-run home run to give Houston a quick lead. Lawrence walked another batter later in the inning, but recovered to limit the damage.

The Cougars extended the lead to 4-0 in the third after Garber advanced to second base on a throwing error. Two batters later, Jennifer Klinkert connected on an RBI double to give UH an unearned run of its own.

Schrock relieved Lawrence in the fourth and dominated from there. Crabtree pitched the entire game for Houston and finished with the loss.

TU 7 Houston 1

Caitlin Everett’s two-run double in the bottom of the fourth put Tulsa on top 3-1 and the Golden Hurricane never looked back. Everett finished 4-for-8 with four RBIs on the day.

Everett would cross the plate in the sixth inning to put the Golden Hurricane on top 5-1. Vice hit a two-run triple on the next play to make it a 7-1 contest.

Houston’s (23-21, 9-8) lone run came in the third inning. The Golden Hurricane (24-17, 8-3) would score single runs in the third and fifth inning.

Schrock (9-5) would earn her second relief win of the day after throwing 4.2 scoreless innings. Bailey Watts (10-8) was tagged with the loss for Houston, giving up seven earned runs in six innings.

The series concludes with a single game at noon on Sunday.