TU Golden Hurricane Beats OSU Cowgirls 6-2 in Stillwater

Originally Published: Mar 9, 2010 9:23 PM CDT

Stephany Speck
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

STILLWATER, Oklahoma -- The Tulsa Golden Hurricane earned its 12th win of the season Tuesday, beating the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on the road 6-2.

Tulsa took a quick lead in the first. Caitlin Everett hit a single to reach first base, followed by a double by Lauren Lindsay. Samantha Cobb hit a pop fly for an out which sent Everett home for the game’s first run.

Skylar Swanson reached first base on the next at-bat after OSU’s Chelsea Garcia committed an error.

With Swanson on first and Lindsay on third, Christian Timmons hit a single to left field. Lindsay scored, putting the Golden Hurricane up 2-0.

The Cowgirls hit two pop flies in their first two at-bats. A defensive play by Swanson wrapped up the first inning and kept OSU off the scoreboard.

OSU answered back in the bottom of the second inning, when Brown hit a deep ball into center field, reaching second base. Amy Graham was thrown out at first in the next at-bat, as Brown advanced to third. Megan Castle hit a single, sending Brown home to score the first run of the day for the Cowgirls.

The score remained in Tulsa’s favor at 2-1 for both the third and fourth innings, as OSU’s Anna Whiddon and TU’s Jordan Kinard earned one strikeout each.

Tulsa opened the top of the fifth with a home run to center field by Lindsay, who was named Conference USA Softball Hitter of the Week Monday. It was her 39th career home run.

The Cowgirls couldn’t answer back in the bottom of the fifth, as the Golden Hurricane finished the inning with a 3-1 lead.

Tulsa’s dominance continued in the sixth, as they extended their lead to 4-1. Swanson, first up to bat, was walked. Timmons singled, sending Swanson to second. After both runners advanced a base on a sacrifice bunt by Jessica Stoelke, Swanson scored on a Lauren Menke single.

Sarah Odom relieved Whiddon after that run and finished the game for OSU.

The Cowgirls battled back in the bottom of the sixth. Graham hit a homer to left field to narrow the Golden Hurricane’s lead to two runs.

Lindsay was walked by Odom in the top of the seventh and LaValley stepped in at first to pinch run for the homerun-hitter. Vice singled, sending LaValley to third, and after a single by Swanson, Odom faced a bases-loaded situation with only one out.

Swanson was on first, Vice on second and LaValley on third as Timmons stepped up to the plate.

Timmons slapped a hard hit to OSU’s third baseman, Mariah Gearhart, who fumbled the ball. Both Vice and LaValley scored, sealing the Cowgirls fate.