Tigers Open Season with Pair of Wins in Miami
Box Score
January 30, 2003
Kristen Keyes |
MIAMI - The Auburn softball team opened the season with a 6-1 win over Florida A&M and a 2-0 blanking of Illinois State on Friday afternoon in the Diamond Sports Fun and Sun Classic in Miami.
The Tigers began a season 2-0 for the seventh time in school history. They will face Kentucky and host Florida International on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT and 4 p.m. CT, respectively.
"It was really important for us to get off to a good start today," said head coach Tina Deese. "We were challenged a little bit and we know some places we are going to have to work on to improve."
Kristen Keyes, Shannon Anderson and Sara Dean were the stars of the day for the Tigers. Keyes picked up the win in the first game after striking out seven and allowing just one hit in four innings of work. It was her 34th career victory, pulling her within one win of tying Jen Lofton's school record.
In the second game, she entered the game in the fifth inning and got Auburn out of a bases-loaded jam. She threw 1 1/3 perfect innings to earn the save.
"I thought Kristen looked very poised coming into the second game and getting the save," said Deese. "She came in throwing strikes immediately and came up big for us."
Anderson was 4-for-7 on the day and tied a school record with three stolen bases against the Redbirds. Dean went 2-for-5 with an RBI in each game. Her double down the right field line in the fifth inning of the Illinois State game plated Ashley Griffin to give the Tigers a much needed insurance run.
The first run of the game was provided by an RBI single by Martha Phillips. Krisina McCain scored from second on the play after reaching on a fielder's choice and advancing on a Dean walk.
"We hit the ball hard all day and got hits when we needed them," said Deese. "The hits were especially timely in the second game."
Holly Currie started the second game and pitched 5 2/3 innings of two-hit ball. She struck out five and walked three.
"Currie was excellent in her first game to pitch," Deese said. "She threw strikes all day and did a good job of mixing up her pitches."
However, she ran into a jam in the fifth when she walked Carly Weinstein and allowed Emily Kreuger to single up the middle. A Griffin error loaded the bases before Keyes entered.
In the opener, the Tiger offense jumped on the Lady Rattlers early, striking for three runs in the opening frame. Batting second, Lolani Alvarez got the rally started with a walk and a stolen base. Dean singled to score Alvarez and moved to third base on a throwing error by centerfielder Ashley Mitchell.
After a Phillips was hit by a pitch, Dean scored on a double steal that also saw Phillips advance. Cami Fenn brought Phillips home with an RBI single to cap the rally.
Auburn later added single runs in the third, fourth and fifth en route to the final margin.
The Tigers had a chance to end the game via the mercy rule in the fifth inning, but could only manage one run. Pinch hitters McCain, Jenny Diaz and Robin Martin loaded the bases with no outs on a single and a pair of Florida A&M errors. McCain was forced out at home on an Annie Norton ground out before Diaz scored when Krista Barts was hit by a pitch. The threat ended when Martin was picked off third and Anderson grounded out.
Florida A&M scored its only run off relief pitcher Beth DiPietro in the sixth. Mitchell singled to start the inning and moved to second on a ground out. She stole third and scored on an error on the throw to the base.