Feb. 11, 2007
HONOLULU - Auburn and Nebraska combined for 30 strikeouts Sunday the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. A Nebraska sacrifice fly in the second inning proved to be the game-winner as the Cornhuskers defeated the 24th-ranked Auburn softball team, 1-0, in the Tigers' finale at the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Hawaii Paradise Classic in Honolulu.
The loss dropped Auburn to 1-5 at the four-day tournament. The Tigers finished the weekend 0-4 in one-run games.
Holly Currie started and threw 5 1/3 innings in her third appearance of the season. She struck out nine and walked one while scattering six hits. She was relieved with the bases loaded in the sixth by Anna Thompson, who made her fifth appearance this year.
Thompson promptly forced Nebraska (4-2) to hit into a force out at home, then got Crystal Carwile swinging to get the Tigers out of the jam.
Currie dropped to 1-2 this season. Thompson, meanwhile, finished with four strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings. She did not allow a hit.
Ashley DeBuhr improved to 3-0 this season after striking out 17. She scattered two Auburn hits and did not walk a batter.
"You have to give both teams credit," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "All three pitchers threw well. All it took was a sacrifice fly. One play made all the difference."
Nebraska took its lead after scoring a run in the second. Haley Long began the inning with a single, then moved to third a batter later when Carwile singled through the right side of the infield.
After Currie got Alex Hupp on a swinging strikeout, Ashley DeBuhr flew out to Taryn Gray in left, scoring Long. The Tigers, however, got out of the inning on the play after forcing Carwile out at second.
Ashley Arcuri and Tatiana Fernandez both posted singles for the Tigers.
Auburn returns to play Wednesday when it hosts Georgia State at Jane B. Moore Field at 5 p.m. CT.
Tiger Notes: Auburn wore its orange uniforms for the second straight game ... The game began at 8 a.m. Hawaii Time (12 p.m. CT) ... Holly Currie struck out the side in the fifth, but in an unconventional manner ... She got both Alex Hupp and Ashley DeBuhr swinging, but DeBuhr reached on a wild pitch ... Darcy Rutherford pinch ran for DeBuhr and was thrown out caught stealing before Carmen Kier struck out swinging.