The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Tulsa
UAB Softball Splits Doubleheader With Tulsa Saturday
3/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 13, 2010
Game 1 Box Score | PDF Box Score 
Game 2 Box Score | PDF Box Score
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The UAB softball team split a doubleheader against Tulsa amidst rain showers Saturday to open conference play. The Blazers fell, 5-4, before defeating the Golden Hurricane, 4-3, at UAB Softball Field.
"We played two great games today and that's what conference play is all about," UAB head coach Marla Townsend said. "Tulsa is a solid team and we out hit them in both games. Unfortunately we could have won the first game with that last swing of the bat, but we were in both games playing hard and that's how we want it to be."
In the second game, UAB (15-6, 1-1 C-USA) entered the fifth trailing, 3-1, but battled back with a three-run inning to win the game. Sophomore catcher Mandy Lowman belted a single to score junior rightfielder Sallie Van Kirk to close in on the Tulsa lead. Sophomore first baseman Kayla Orr followed with a double to score Martina Landrum and pinch runner Tiffany Smith to put UAB up, 4-3.
Lowman went 2-for-3 with two RBI in the second contest. The Huntsville, Ala., native's first RBI came in the first inning, as she drove in Landrum to put UAB on the board early.
In the circle, freshman pitcher Lauren Webster (7-2) threw eight stikeouts and only allowed four hits in the win.
Landrum led UAB offensively in both games, going 4-for-6 for the day with three runs and one RBI.
In the first game, UAB jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second after pinch runner Smith scored off a Golden Hurricane throwing error. Freshman leftfielder Hailey Glynn then recorded a base hit to score second baseman Kate Armstrong.
Tulsa went up, 4-3, in the sixth off a Lauren Lindsay home run and a two-run double by designated player Lauren Menke. The Blazers had an opportunity to regain the lead in the sixth with the bases loaded, but were unable to capitalize.
Tulsa homered in the seventh to extend its lead, but Landrum answered in the bottom of the inning with her third career home run to centerfield. Sophomore shortstop Catherine Douglass followed with a base hit, but was left on as the Blazers fell, 5-4.
Junior pitcher Alisha Smith (4-4) took the loss for UAB. Smith threw five strikeouts and held Tulsa hitless until the fourth, but eventually gave up three earned runs.
The Golden Hurricane smacked four long balls against UAB Saturday, with rightfielder Lindsay accounting for two, to extend her season total to 12 home runs.
The Blazers conclude their three-game series against Tulsa Sunday at UAB Softball Field, with the first pitch slated for 1 p.m. CT. Fans can follow this weekend's action online through Gametracker live stats and All-Access streaming video at uabsports.com.
