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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The University of Iowa softball team split a pair of games with Tulsa and Butler on opening day at the Texas A&M Invitational. The Hawkeyes took down the Golden Hurricanes, 2-1, before dropping a 4-0 decision to the Bulldogs.
In game one against Tulsa, sophomore pitcher Allison Doocy had a complete game and tied her career high with 10 strikeouts. The right-hander improved to 2-1 on the season with the victory.
In the second inning, senior Sarah Kurtz knocked in her first RBI of the season with a single up the middle to score sophomore McKenzie Schneider. Tulsa answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning, knotting the game at 1-1.
The Hawkeyes regained the lead, 2-1, in the third inning with another RBI single, this time off the bat of senior Cheyenne Pratt. Her shot to center plated junior Mallory Kilian.
In game two, Butler scored four runs in the top of the first inning and held the lead throughout the game to secure the win.
Senior Kenzie Ihle suffered the loss against the Bulldogs, recording three strikeouts in 4.0 innings. She is now 0-1 on the season.
KEY HAWKEYE PERFORMER
Doocy registered 10 strikeouts for the second time in her career during the win over Tulsa. The Iowa native now has 10 wins in a Hawkeye uniform.
QUOTING HEAD COACH MARLA LOOPER
“Doocy went out there and had a really nice game against Tulsa. She found her groove and moved the ball well. She had good command of the zone and of the plate. When you do that, you give yourself a good opportunity to win a ballgame. The team as a whole played good, solid defense in the first game.
“We needed to take that momentum from game one into game two and continue to attack. The things we have to be better at are all within our control: stay on the attack, take an extra bag when we do hit a ball off the wall, and maintain momentum. When things are going well, we need to use that as fuel.”
RECORDS UPDTATE
Iowa: 2-4
Tulsa: 2-3
Butler: 2-4
UP NEXT
The Hawkeyes continue action at the Texas A&M Invitational on Saturday. Iowa faces Butler at 10 a.m. (CT) and finishes the day against host Texas A&M at 12:15 p.m.
WATCH LIVE
Iowa’s game against the Aggies on Saturday will be streamed live on ESPN3 and the Watch ESPN app.
