The University of Tulsa hit a school-record four homeruns in the first game of Thursday’s Western Athletic Conference home opener for the Miners at Tejanas Field and followed that up with a three-homerun performance in the second game as the Golden Hurricane swept the twinbill, 9-1 and 8-0.

Tulsa (32-15, 5-3 WAC) got a pair of two-run blasts in the first inning of game one and would extend its lead to 7-0 in the second as Kelly Miller hit her fourth four-bagger of the year followed by Stephanie Slipen’s fourth, a solo shot.

Malia Simmons would enter in relief of Renee DiPuccio and hold the Canes bat quite until the sixth. With runners on first and second and two outs in the inning, Sliepen hit a grounder to third which Lindsey Pridgen bobbled while attempting to tag third base for the final out. Julie Shafer would record her third and fourth RBIs of the game with a single through the leftside to complete the mercy-rule game.

UTEP (7-31, 0-8 WAC) stranded three runners in the home-half of the second inning but managed to final get a run on the board in the fifth as Laura Joiner’s two-out single to left plated Kristin Hardy. Hardy led off the inning with a single through the infield.

Game two would begin the same as the first game of the day as Tulsa got a three-run homer from Miller in the top of the first. Sliepen would follow with her second homerun of the day building an early 4-0 Golden Hurricane lead. After a two-run homer by Heather Hiar in the second, UTEP found itself having to play catch-up for the second-consecutive game.

After standing four runners through the first two innings, the Miners would only get one more runner on base over the final three innings, a double by Hardy.

Tulsa completed the mercy-rule-shortened game with a pair of runs in the fifth.

UTEP will be back in action on Saturday as it hosts Louisiana Tech. Because of a scheduling conflict, Saturday’s game will be played at Coronado High School. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. with game two to follow approximately 30 minutes after game one.