No. 20 Auburn Softball Sweeps No. 16 Florida
Box Score | Audio | Photo Gallery
April 27, 2005
AUBURN -- The 20th ranked Auburn softball team took both ends of a doubleheader from No. 16 Florida Wednesday, giving the Tigers a sweep of the Gators at Jane B. Moore Field. The Tigers took game one of the doubleheader, 6-4, then scored three in the sixth inning for a 6-5 game two victory.
Auburn (45-13 overall, 19-7 Southeastern Conference) is now on a season-tying seven-game win streak. And the Tigers ended the regular season at home with a 25-3 record, winning their last eight games at Jane B. Moore Field.
"What a terrific series for us," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "Our players battled throughout the weekend and showed real resiliency. I couldn't be prouder of them for the way they played against the Gators."
In game one, Holly Currie hit her 15th home run of the season as Auburn held off a late Florida rally for the win. Currie's two-run home run in the third inning began the Tigers' scoring as Auburn posted three runs in the third and fifth innings, apiece.
Paige Jones, who finished the game 2-for-4, singled home Sara Dean to finish of the team's scoring in the third.
Anne Norton and Lolani Alvarez both posted runs batted in during the Tigers' three-run sixth. Lauren Walton, pinch running for Norton, scored the final run of the inning on a Florida error.
The Gators scored two in the fourth, then put two more on the board in the sixth. Savana Kelly connected with a Currie pitch and sent it over the left field fence. However, Beth DiPietro came on in relief of Currie in the seventh and shut the door on the Gators for her third save of the season.
Currie got the win after throwing six innings, allowing four hits and four runs. She struck out six.
In game two, the Tigers put three runs on the board in the sixth, buoyed by three Florida (36-16, 15-9) errors. Alvarez and Amy Shaw both reached on errors to start the inning. Alvarez later came around to score on a wild pitch by Florida's Stacey Stevens.
Shaw was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kristina McCain, and she and Walton, pinch running for Norton, scored Auburn's final two runs of the game on a Florida error.
"You win any way you can," Deese said. "We did what we needed to do in the sixth and that's what pushed us to the win. Our girls responded, made smart decisions and earned this victory."
Florida began the game with three runs in the top half of the second, then watched as the Tigers put three on in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by Jones' 11th home run of the season. The Gators, however, went ahead in the fourth on a single by Kelly, scoring Nikki Baldwin.
Currie picked up the win in game two as well, giving her 20 on the season. She is the third pitcher in Auburn history to reach the 20-win plateau, joining DiPietro, who has 22 wins this season, and Kristen Keyes, who won 21 in 2002 and 27 in 2004.
Alvarez and Ashley Griffin paced the Auburn offense with two hits apiece in game two.
Auburn finishes off its 2005 regular season by traveling to Lexington, Ky., to take on Kentucky Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 12 p.m. CT., with the solo game Sunday beginning at the same time.
Catch the games live on the Internet at www.auburntigers.com or on the radio at WANI-AM (1400).
TIGER NOTES: Before the game, the Tigers were moved up to No. 20 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 collegiate poll ... Sara Ghezzi's 10-game hit streak is the team's second of the year ... Kristina McCain also has a 12-gamer this season ... The Tigers now have 11 hit streaks of 10 or more games in nine years.