Photo Courtesy of C-USA Conference
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Tulsa won its fourth Conference USA Softball Championship Saturday at the FAU Softball Stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic. The Golden Hurricane defeated Marshall, 8-0, to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
Tulsa (50-7), the top seed and regular season champion, jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Senior Shelby Blanton doubled and then scored the first run on a single from junior Julie Kernen.
The Hurricane added five runs in the bottom of the fourth when senior Jill Barrett had a two-run single, followed by a three-run double from Erica Sampson. Tulsa wrapped up its scoring when Barrett and Blanton both crossed the plate on wild pitches in the bottom of the sixth. Barrett’s two runs in the game gave her 179 for her career to break the school record.
Tulsa senior Aimee Creger was named the tournament MVP, striking out 12 and improving her record to a stellar 27-1 mark on the season Creger also set the C-USA Championship record for most strikeouts in a tournament series with 33 for the three games, breaking Southern Miss’ Courtney Blades’ tournament record from 2000 – the first season of Conference USA softball.
Creger was joined on the all-tournament squad with teammates Jill Barrett, Catherine Horner, Cierra Hughes and Erica Sampson. Marshall was represented by four players on the all-tournament team, along with one player from East Carolina, FIU and North Texas.
Marshall (29-31) was making its third consecutive appearance in the championship final and as defending champs from a year ago.
Tulsa adds the 2014 championship trophy to its case, adding to conference tournament titles in 2006, 2009 and 2012. The NCAA Division I Softball Selection Show is scheduled to air Sunday, May 11, at 10 p.m. EDT on ESPNU.
2014 ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- P – Aimee Creger, Tulsa (Most Valuable Player)
- P – Jordan Dixon, Marshall
- C – Catherine Horner, Tulsa
- IF – Rachel Slowik, FIU
- IF – Shaelynn Braxton, Marshall
- IF – Brooke Foster, North Texas
- IF – Jill Barrett, Tulsa
- OF – Kaelynn Green, Marshall
- OF – Cierra Hughes, Tulsa
- OF – Erica Sampson, Tulsa
- DP – Jill Jelnick, East Carolina
- U – Morgan Zerkle, Marshall
