SAN ANTONIO — Haley Henshaw’s solo home run in the top of the 11th broke a 1-1 tie and lifted No. 16 Tulsa to a 2-1 win over UTSA on Saturday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.
Jori Fox hit her 10th home run of the season for the Roadrunners (20-26, 7-11 C-USA), who played their longest game since a 4-3, 11-inning win against UT Arlington on May 13, 2011. Darian Blake had the only other hit for UTSA, while Nicole Merrill came on in relief to strike out six in five innings.
Meanwhile, Aimee Creger improved to 21-1 on the season after allowing just two hits and a run to go along with 16 strikeouts for the Golden Hurricane (41-5, 15-2 C-USA), who left 14 runners on base. Jill Barrett went 3-for-5 and scored a run to lead the offense.
Fox gave the home squad an early 1-0 lead with her two-out solo shot in the first. The San Antonio native crushed a 1-1 pitch from Creger, who surrendered just her eighth round-tripper in 149.2 innings this spring, over the wall in left for the quick advantage.
UTSA starter Kacy Freeze kept Tulsa off the scoreboard until the top of the third, when Julie Kernen’s RBI single to center scored Barrett and notched the score at 1-1.
Blake hit a one-out single to left in the bottom of the panel that put runners on first and second for the Roadrunners. However, it would prove to be the last hit of the day for UTSA and Creger got a pair of strikeouts to end the threat.
The Golden Hurricane stranded 10 runners from that point on and after Creger retired the side in order in the seventh, the Roadrunners were headed for their fourth extra-inning game of the campaign.
Tulsa loaded the bases against Merrill in the eighth, but the freshman coaxed a gounder that led to a force out at home and struck out Kaitlin Allen to end the inning.
The score stayed tied until Henshaw’s blast to right field to start the 11th and provided the final 2-1 margin.
UTSA had one last chance in the bottom of the frame, but Creger retired the side in order to notch the series sweep.
Merrill took the loss and fell to 7-9 on the season, while Freeze allowed five hits and a walk to go along with a strikeout in six innings.
The Roadrunners will be back in action at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, when they host No. 14 Baylor (32-10) at Roadrunner Field.