Sports editor Jaralynn Tammi Morellano says Tulsa could not capitalize on offensive opportunities.
The University of Tulsa’s softball team traveled to Tampa, Florida last weekend to face off the South Florida University Bulls in a three-game series at the USF Softball Stadium. The series started on Friday, April 11 and played on until Sunday, April 13. The scoring was kicked off by the Golden Hurricane, but it could not hold off the Bulls from making an outstanding takeover. The first game ended with TU falling 6-2 against the Bulls for a consecutive American Athletic Conference (AAC) loss following its previous game against Charlotte.
The Golden Hurricane was amidst a five-game losing streak prior to this game, and this game was the one it planned to end this stint of misfortune. The first three innings were in favor of the Golden Hurricane, the team appearing to be in control. Pitcher Alea Hopkins had a very strong start on the mound, her early offensive efforts giving Tulsa hope to take the game. This hope would slowly dwindle as the fourth innings came around, and the game’s momentum began to shift in favor of South Florida.
Tulsa was able to get on the board early on in the game, scoring its lone point of the game in the second innings. Freshman Annika Dill secured a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Faith Russel. The Golden Hurricane had two outs, but Elle Rouse performed a timely single to left field. This play brought Dill home and gave Tulsa a 1-0 lead over the Bulls. Dill was a serious help to the offense on this night, the freshman finishing with two of four of Tulsa’s hits. Meanwhile, Maci Cole extended her hitting streak to 12 games with a leadoff single in the first.
On the mound, Hopkins retired the first eight batters she faced, taking command of the field early on. The Golden Hurricane’s composure would slowly dissipate at the bottom of the fourth inning. The Bulls had runners on the corners with one out. South Florida managed to use this setup to score off a wild pitch and bring the game to a 1-1 tie. The Bulls would not stop after this stint, and a single hit up the middle would give it the lead. Following this play, there were back-to-back walks that loaded the bases and made the situation even more dangerous for the Golden Hurricane. This series of events ended the inning for Hopkins, and she finished with 3.2 innings pitched.
Reliever Abby Hayes entered the field and faced two batters, walking both and allowing two more runs to score. This would extend South Florida’s lead to 4-1. Brinly Maples took over the mound, allowing the single that gave the Bulls’ its fifth run of the inning. Dill’s defensive efforts stopped a sixth run from taking place.
South Florida would add one more run to its stats sheets in the sixth inning. After a one-out walk, a groundout moved the runner into an ideal scoring position. A single to the left brought her around to score and gave the Bulls’ its 6-1 advantage.
Despite the promising start, Tulsa’s inability to maintain pressure and capitalize on offensive opportunities proved too costly. After the game, the Golden Hurricane took its loss and started strategizing for the second game of the series scheduled to happen the following day.
