Feb. 11, 2006
AUBURN, Ala. - The 17th-ranked Auburn softball team picked up two more victories at the Tiger Invitational Saturday at Jane B. Moore Field. The Tigers defeated Evansville, 12-7, in the team's first game, then followed that up a 2-0 victory over North Carolina State.
Auburn improved to 4-0 on the season with the wins, the fifth time in the team's 10 seasons it has won at least its first four games to start a season.
Auburn pounded out 17 hits in the win, with five Tigers posting at least two. Freshmen Tatiana Fernandez and Taryn Gray and juniors Holly Currie and Lauren Walton keyed the Tigers' output, with each posting three hits. Currie, Fernandez and juniors Kristina McCain and Heather Garrison each drove in two runs for the Tigers.
"Our offense, for the second day in a row, really saw the bell well," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "Our middle of the order is really producing early on in the season."
Auburn scored three runs in the first inning. Gray started off the inning by doubling to right center, and was driven in by Currie two batters later. Sophomore Brittany Scott, pinch running for Currie, came around to score later on a double by Garrison. Fernandez, who had reached base via a single, also scored on the play.
Auburn, up 4-1, scored four in the fourth inning. Walton singled in a run off Evansville starter Brittany Herald, and later on the inning, Fernandez, off reliever Jacki Bradley, doubled in two more runs. Senior Robin Martin also scored during the inning on an Evansville error.
The Tigers scored four runs in the final two innings, which proved to be key as the Purple Aces scored three in the sixth and three in the seventh, but got no closer than five runs.
Currie started the game for the Tigers, allowing three hits and four runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. She improved to 2-0 on the young season.
Junior Beth DiPietro and sophomore Brittany Day combined to work 1 2/3 innings in relief of Currie, striking out one and walking three.
Herald picked up the loss for the Purple Aces (2-1), falling to 0-1 on the year. She gave up seven hits and eight runs -- six earned -- while walking three in 3 1/3.
The Tigers used timely hitting and pitching to get the 2-0 victory over North Carolina State (1-2) in the second game.
DiPietro started and worked seven innings to improve to 2-0 on the year. She held the Wolfpack to three hits and two walks while striking out six. The junior allowed two hits in the first two innings, but did not allow her third until the sixth inning.
"Beth really threw the ball well," Deese said. "She's gotten off to a great start this season. Despite the cold, she picked her spots and kept North Carolina State off the basepaths."
Sophomore Starr Dorsey provided the offensive spark for the Tigers in the fifth inning, hitting a two-out triple in the fifth for Auburn's first run of the game. Junior Sara Ghezzi singled to left with Scott on second and with the runner thrown out at third, advanced to second. Junior Lauren Walton pinch ran for Ghezzi and scored when Dorsey tripled to center. It was Dorsey's first career RBI.
Auburn extended the lead in the sixth. Fernandez, with the bases loaded, was hit by a pitch on the first pitch of her at bat, bringing in senior Amy Shaw.
Abbie Sims picked up the loss for North Carolina State, falling to 1-1 on the year. She threw six innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out seven.
Auburn finishes up the Tiger Invitational at 2 p.m. CT. by playing Centenary. Catch the game live on the Internet at www.auburntigers.com and on the radio at WZMG-AM (910).
TIGER NOTES: Auburn wore blue uniforms for both games ... Holly Currie started off her game with a run-scoring single in the first ... She started the season with four straight hits and was not put out until grounding out in the second inning against Evansville ... Auburn improved to 3-0 all-time against Evansville after defeating the Purple Aces twice in 2004 ... The 3 hours, 5 minute game against Evansville would not have been the longest last season for Auburn ... The Tigers played Florida State in the NCAA Regional at Jane B. Moore Field and the game lasted 3:16 ... Auburn's all-time longest game was five hours against Alabama A&M on February 14, 1999 ... Freshman Taryn Gray went 4 for 8 on the day and has started the season by going 10 for 16.