No. 20 Tigers End Regular Season With 10-0 Win Over Kentucky
Box Score | Audio
May 1, 2005
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Paige Jones hit her 13th home run of the season and Amy Shaw her first as the 20th-ranked Auburn softball team wrapped up its regular season with a 10-0 victory over Kentucky Sunday at the UK Softball Complex.
Jones' home run, a solo shot deep over the left field fence, was her fourth in six games this week. It gave Auburn a commanding 3-0 lead, and helped send Auburn (47-14 overall, 21-8 Southeastern Conference) to its ninth win in its last 10 games.
Jones, a senior from Alabaster, Ala., finished the game 3-for-3 with three runs batted in. Her first RBI of the game put Auburn on the board. She singled home Holly Currie in the first. Her third RBI of the game, earned by singling home Ashley Griffin in the seventh, gave her 44 on the season, which is second-most in Auburn single-season history.
"Paige had an outstanding week," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "She was a catalyst for the offense, which really responded against Florida and Kentucky. Paige is seeing the ball real well right now and that bodes well for her heading into the SEC Tournament. She had an outstanding SEC Tournament last season, being named to the All-Tournament team."
Shaw hit her first career home run in the top of the seventh, driving a pitch from Samantha Allen over the left field fence for a two-run round tripper. The two RBI marked Shaw's eighth and ninth of the season, leaving her one away from becoming the ninth Auburn player to have at least 10 this season.
The Tigers sent 11 batters to the plate in a seven-run seventh inning. Five Auburn players drove in at least one run during the inning, with Shaw and Lolani Alvarez posting two RBI apiece.
Currie started her second game in as many days and improved to 22-8 on the season. She threw a complete seven innings, striking out nine while walking five. The shutout was her second in a row and fourth in her last six games.
Allen started the game for Kentucky (20-38, 4-22) and fell to 12-15 on the season. She allowed eight runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings of work, also coming on in relief after coming in at the top half of the sixth.
The Tigers have a bye next weekend and must now wait on their fate for the SEC Tournament, which is set to be played May 12-15 in Gainesville, Fla., on the University of Florida campus. The Tigers are guaranteed a second-place SEC West finish, and will wait on next weekend's games to find out their seeding for the tournament.
TIGER NOTES: The break will mark the longest in between games this season for the Tigers ... The Tigers have now won two straight SEC season finales ... Auburn defeated Kentucky, 6-0, last season, but then went 1-1 against Florida State, losing the second game, to end the regular season ... Auburn wore its blue uniforms and improved to 26-5 in them this season ... Auburn also improved to 39-13 in day games, while sporting an 8-0 in games played under the lights ... Kristina McCain scored two runs in the game, extending her Auburn single-season record to 54 ... She surpassed Ashley Moore on Saturday at the top of the record book ... Moore had 50 apiece in 2001 and 2002 ... Amy Shaw's first home run of the season gives the Tigers 10 players with at least one this season ... The Tigers have hit 65 as a team this season ... Auburn rapped out 14 hits Sunday, its most since hitting 14 against South Carolina on March 26.