COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Senior Aimee Creger recorded 11 strikeouts and junior Erica Sampson homered and drove in three runs to lead the Tulsa softball team to a 5-2 in over No. 8 Texas A&M at the Aggie Classic Saturday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
The Golden Hurricane (9-1) scored all five runs in the first two frames, boosted by the two-run shot from Sampson in the first inning. Creger improved to 4-0 after allowing two earned runs on four hits and four walks in 6.0 innings. Bailey Erwin pitched a perfect seventh to pick up her second save of the weekend.
Freshman designated player Jill Roye singled twice and drove in a run, and senior right fielder Haley Henshaw hit an RBI double. Senior third baseman Jill Barrett walked twice and score two runs, and Henshaw and sophomore catcher Catherine Horner each scored once. Rachel Fox (3-1) allowed all five earned runs in 1.1 innings, and took the loss for the Aggies (9-2).
The Hurricane earned its second win in two tries over a ranked opponent this season. On Feb. 8, Tulsa beat Louisville, which was ranked 18th at the time, 4-0. The Golden Hurricane completed a 5-0 weekend, including its victory over the Aggies. TU also picked up wins over Oregon State, 9-1 and 4-0, and McNeese State, 5-4 (8 inn.) and 3-2.
“(Scoring the runs early) was a key, because it allowed us to pitch and play from in front,” Tulsa Head Coach John Bargfeldt said. “They still put some pressure on us. Aimee, pitching her third day in a row, had to labor quite a bit trying to find the strike zone. She just battled and kept working through it. It’s good to jump on the board early against anybody, but especially when you’re trying to knock off a ranked team.”
Tulsa started with two runs in the top of the first on Sampson’s two-run home run to left field, which scored Barrett, who led off the game with a walk.
The Golden Hurricane scored three more in the top of the second inning to extend its lead to 5-0. Horner led off with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman third baseman Maggie Withee, and scored on a double off the fence in left by Henshaw. Barrett drew a walk, and after a pitching change and a pop out, Sampson hit an RBI single to left center, scoring Barrett. Roye then singled through the left side, scoring Barrett.
The Aggies scored a run in the bottom of the second when third baseman Amber Garza walked, moved to second on an illegal pitch, and scored on a single up the middle by shortstop Taran Tyler. Texas A&M made the score 5-2 in the third when right fielder Cassie Tysarczyk drew a bases-loaded walk, plating left fielder Brittany Clopton, who led off the inning with a base on balls.
The Hurricane threatened with runners on second and third in the fourth and fifth innings, but in the end, all it needed was the five runs it put on the board in the opening two frames. After the third inning, the only two baserunners Texas A&M mustered came via a single in the fifth and a double in the sixth.
“It was good to see the offense helping out a little bit more,” said Bargfeldt. “We had a couple of games where we had more than a one or two-run cushion. That definitely picked up a bit this weekend, and the pitching and the defense still stayed very solid. We scrapped and we played, and we grinded out at bats. With the three other teams that were here and for us to come out 5-0, I think this may be one of the best weekends we’ve ever had since I’ve been here.”
The Golden Hurricane travels to Georgia next weekend for the Georgia Tech/Kennesaw State Crossover Tournament. TU plays at Kennesaw State on Friday in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m., and a doubleheader at Georgia Tech beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Hurricane concludes the tournament against Georgia State at 9 a.m. Sunday.
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