May 6, 2006
AUBURN, Ala. - Holly Currie threw her fourth no-hitter of the season as the 21st-ranked Auburn softball team defeated Ole Miss, 2-0, Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader at Jane B. Moore Field. The Rebels, however, answered back with eight hits off three Tiger pitchers for a 5-4 win in game two.
The doubleheader split left Auburn at 34-18 overall and 15-14 in Southeastern Conference play.
Currie struck out eight and walked two in the first game for her fourth no-hitter of the season and first against an SEC club. The no-no was the fifth of Currie's career, tying her with Kristen Keyes for the most in an Auburn career.
Of the 16 no-hitters thrown by Auburn pitchers in the team's 10 seasons, four have come against Ole Miss.
"Holly was very poised today," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "She really hit her spots and had a great defensive effort behind her. Holly has thrown well this season and that showed against the Rebels."
Currie improved to 18-10 this season. She and Beth DiPietro have combined to tie an Auburn record with five no-hitters this season.
Sara Ghezzi went 2 for 3 and drove in both of Auburn's runs in game one. She singled up the middle in the fourth, bringing in Kristina McCain from second. In the sixth, Ghezzi found the left center field gap and drove in Lauren Walton with a single.
In game two, Tatiana Fernandez went 2 for 3 with a two-run home run but Ole Miss (23-35, 9-20 SEC) survived a late Auburn attack for the 5-4 victory.
Fernandez's home run, her seventh of the season, tied an Auburn freshman single-season record, previously held solely by Mary Petrie in 1998. Fernandez's two runs batted in gave her 34 on the year, pulling her to within one of Petrie in 1998.
Currie doubled and singled in the loss, while the Tigers wrapped out nine hits against Ole Miss pitchers Mary Jane Callahan and Dana Brill.
However, a three-run home run by Lauren Rowe in the fourth proved to the game winner for the Rebels.
Auburn had held a 3-2 lead after three, buoyed by Fernandez's two-run shot in the bottom half of the inning. But Rowe took a 0-1 pitch from DiPietro and hit it over the left field fence in the fourth to put the Rebels ahead for good.
Auburn struck back with a solo run in the fourth. Ghezzi flew out to right, scoring Amy Shaw from third.
Brill took the win in game two, improving to 12-15 this season. She also took the loss in game one.
The Tigers are still battling for the fifth seed in the SEC Tournament, which is scheduled to start on Thursday in Athens, Ga. Auburn entered the day tied with Florida, but the Gators held the tiebreaker after taking 2 of 3 from Auburn in Gainesville. Check www.auburntigers.com for updates on the Tigers' status.
Auburn will finish the 2006 regular season with the series finale against Ole Miss Sunday at Jane B. Moore Field. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. CT. Before the game, the Tigers will honor their four seniors this season -- Ashley Griffin, Amy Shaw, Robin Martin and Krista Barts.
TIGER NOTES: Auburn wore its blue uniforms for both games and is now 18-8 in them this season ... Auburn improved to 27-14 when a right-handed pitcher starts for the Tigers' opponent ... Kristina McCain walked twice on the day, giving her 92 for her and the all-time AU record ... She surpassed Mary Petrie, who walked 90 times from 1998-2001.