Auburn Softball Team Improves to 4-0 with Pair of Wins
Box Score
February 6, 2004
Sara Dean |
WACO, Texas - Sara Dean hit three home runs and Martha Phillips added two as Auburn rolled to a pair of victories over Northwestern State, 2-0, and North Texas, 7-2, on Friday at the Getterman Classic in Waco, Texas.
The Tigers are 4-0 to begin the season for the fourth time in five years. The Demons, which also lost to Baylor, and the Mean Green, which fell to Pacific, are 0-2 and 0-3, respectively.
Dean had an astounding day, setting three Getterman Classic records while tying one in just two games. Her two home runs and nine total bases against North Texas are new single game records.
The three home runs for the tournament set a new record while her 15 total bases is currently tied for the record. She accumulated the total bases with a double and a single to go along with her three homers.
As a team, Auburn tied the single game record (3) and tournament record (5) for home runs.
In the first game, both of Auburn's runs came on solo homers and Kristen Keyes threw seven shutout innings to beat Northwestern State, 2-0.
Keyes shutout was the 11th of her career and extended her scoreless innings streak to 11. She also tied the school record for career wins with her 35th while moving to 2-0 on the season. She struck out seven on the outing.
Phillips got Auburn on the board first when she homered to left-center to start the second. The blast was the first for a Tiger this season, but a sign of things to come. Dean added a lead off home run to left field in the fourth to extend the Auburn lead to 2-0.
Pacific's biggest threat came in the top half of the fifth. Kiana Scott walked to begin in the inning. Krystle Nichols then reached on a throwing error by Kristina McCain as Scott moved to second. However, Kristen Keyes got Shay Hunt and Nicole Martin to ground out sandwiched around a Dawn Normand strikeout to end the rally.
In game two, Auburn jumped out to a big lead on the strength of a four-run third inning. Starting pitcher Beth DiPietro began the action with a double. After a sacrifice bunt by Lauren Walton, Shannon Anderson doubled and then scored on a throwing error after she stole third.
Kristina McCain extended the rally with a single before Dean hit her first home run of the game.
The Tigers first run came on a solo blast by Phillips to lead off the second inning. They added single runs in the fifth inning on an RBI triple by Lolani Alvarez and seventh inning on Dean's second home run.
Dean is the first Tiger to hit two home runs in a game since Ashley Moore did so on April 20, 2002 against Tennessee.
Leading 6-0 in the sixth, Auburn appeared to have things in hand only to see North Texas mount a two-out rally. Ana Vega walked with one out and moved to second on the second out. She scored when Brittiny Chapman singled. After Susan Waters got hit by a pitch, Heather Bostic doubled to score Chapman, which also signaled the end of DiPietro's day.
Holly Currie came in and walked Maureen Kelley to load the bases. However, she ended the threat by getting Katy Maxey to line out to first.
Curry struck out the side in the seventh to earn the save. DiPietro got the win by pitching 5 2/3 innings and allowing two runs on three hits.
Auburn returns to action on Saturday against Wichita State at 10 a.m. and tournament host Baylor at 12:30 p.m.