Sports editor Jaralynn Tammi Morellano says Tulsa pulled the short end of the straw.
The University of Tulsa’s softball team met devastating results at the end of its trilogy against Charlotte in the Collins Family Softball Complex. The teams met once on Friday, April 19, and twice the following day. All three games ended in a loss for the Golden Hurricane.
The first game of the Tulsa-Charlotte series kicked off the 49ers’ sweep, as they narrowly brushed by with a 0-2 victory. Both teams went scoreless until the sixth inning, with Tulsa’s Katelyn Bearpaw being the only player to earn a hit. The Golden Hurricane could not bring her back home, which further motivated Charlotte to draw the first score of the game. In the sixth, the 49ers were able to ground out to take a walk.
Next up to bat was the conference’s home run leader, Arianna Rodri. Staying true to her title, Rodri was able to return the pitch and drop it past the wall to bring her and her teammate back home, putting the score 0-2. With Tulsa unable to retaliate in any way, the score stayed stagnant, and the game ended in Charlotte’s favor.
The next day, both teams got right back into action and went into a doubleheader against one another. These Saturday games were a rough sight for Tulsa fans, who were frustrated that the team lost despite finally getting some runs in against Charlotte. The first game ended 1-4 in a game that could only be described as too late of a start for Tulsa.
Unlike the previous game, Charlotte only took two innings to get on the board and continued to double its lead in the third. Despite Tulsa being able to hold them down in the fourth, they came back pounding in the fifth with two more runs after a two-out error. With the bases loaded, a clean hit up the middle put the score 0-4.
Tulsa finally reached the board for the first time in the series when Imani Edwards’s double brought Tara Hall home. Though its efforts were there, the Golden Hurricane’s fire was lit too late, and it could not catch up. The score stayed 1-4 to give Charlotte its second victory of the weekend.
Both teams hit the locker rooms to rest up for the last game of the weekend. Things seemed to be turning around for the Golden Hurricane as the energy they had towards the end of the second game played into the third. In the first inning, Claira Skaggs was able to ground out to second to allow Edwards to make it home to take the first run of the game. This point marked the Golden Hurricane’s only lead that weekend.
Tulsa continued to hold Charlotte down until the third, but it began to stir up trouble in the fourth. The Golden Hurricane’s attempt to turn two left one runner unscathed and able to take a run to tie the game. Then, Charlotte quickly took its turn in the fifth. Kiyah Garret brought pinch runner Savanna Nguyen home with a double to put Charlotte in the lead 1-2.
The Golden Hurricane retaliated in the top of the sixth to tie the game 2-2 after MacKenzie Denson was brought home after a series of plays by Tulsa. However, its luck would dry out soon after, as Charlotte took three runs in the bottom of the frame to put itself 2-5. With Tulsa unable to bring in any more points in the seventh inning, the game ended to complete the 49ers’ triumphant weekend.
The Golden Hurricane’s record dropped 27-18 as the 49ers were propelled to a 29-16 standing. Tulsa will stay at home to host UTSA for a three-day competition starting on Friday, April 26, as Charlotte continues on the road to play UNC Greensboro on Wednesday, April 24.
