April 25, 2006
AUBURN, Ala. - Kristina McCain went 2 for 4 with two RBI and Beth DiPietro earned her 15th victory of the season as the 19th-ranked Auburn softball team defeated No. 4 Alabama, 4-2, in the second game of a doubleheader Tuesday at Jane B. Moore Field. The victory followed a 9-1 defeat at the hands of the Crimson Tide.
McCain opened Auburn's scoring in game two with a two-run shot to center field that skimmed the outfield fence. Myesha Finney and Heather Garrison scored on the play as McCain nearly missed Auburn's first grand slam since 2003.
McCain also singled in the fourth and later scored Auburn's fourth and final run of the game. The Tigers had added their third an inning earlier when Finney singled for her 14th RBI of the season.
"Our offense looked sharp in game two," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "Kristina's hit was straight away to center and was very clutch. That enabled Beth, and later Holly (Currie), to work ahead of Alabama's batters."
DiPietro worked 4 1/3 innings, striking out one while scattering six hits. She allowed two runs en route to improving her record to 15-5 this season.
Currie came on and saved her fifth game of the season. She did not allow a hit or run in 2 2/3 innings, striking out two.
"Beth and Holly got it done," Deese said. "Getting that lead was very important and Holly came in and closed it out. It was very important to get that win."
Tatiana Fernandez had two hits in Auburn's (32-14 overall, 13-10 Southeastern Conference) game one victory.
The win came after the Tigers managed just one run in a 9-1 mercy rule victory by the Crimson Tide in a five-inning affair.
Ghezzi's double in the fifth scored Auburn's only run of the game.
Alabama (41-8, 19-4) began its scoring with a two-run home run by Staci Ramsey over the right field fence in the first. The Crimson Tide pushed three more runs across the plate in the fourth and four in the fifth en route to the eight-run mercy rule victory.
Alabama capitalized on three Auburn errors; of the nine runs scored by the Tide, just five were earned. The Tigers committed two of those errors in the four-run fifth.
Stephanie VanBrakle earned Alabama's win, working four innings, to improve to 23-4 on the year. She struck out four and walked four while scattering four hits.
Currie took Auburn's loss, dropping to 16-8 this season. She allowed seven hits and five runs in 3 1/3 innings. She struck out five and walked one.
Ghezzi and Lauren Walton paced the Tiger offense with 2 for 2 efforts. Ashley Griffin scored Auburn's lone run.
The teams conclude the three-game series with a solo contest Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT. The game can be heard live on www.auburntigers.com and WZMG-AM (910).
TIGER NOTES: The Tigers wore their blue uniforms for the game and are now 17-7 in them this season ... Prior to the game, the newest ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 poll was released and the Tigers dropped to 19 from No. 18 ... The Crimson Tide stayed at No. 4 ... The first two innings of game one took nearly an hour to complete as Auburn left six runners on base and Alabama four ... Auburn stranded 16 runners in the two games while Alabama left 18 on.