Feb. 23, 2007
Michigan Box Score | North Carolina Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Auburn softball team went into eight innings in both of its games Friday, defeating North Carolina, 3-0, in game one, before falling to 13th-ranked Michigan, 5-1, in the team's second game of the day.
"We played well today, except for the eighth against Michigan," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "The pitching really came through and while we didn't score much, the offense saw the ball well."
In game one, the teams traded scoreless innings until the eighth, when the international tiebreaker was put into play.
The Tigers loaded the bases on a walk by Holly Currie. The next batter, Sara Ghezzi, reached on an infield single with two outs, scoring Ashley Arcuri from third. Tatiana Fernandez followed Ghezzi with a single that found a hold in the right side, scoring Currie and Lindsey Harrelson.
"That was very clutch hitting by both Sara and Tatiana," Deese said. "It took the offense some time to get on track but did so in a big way in the eighth. I'm proud of the way the team rallied late in the game."
Anna Thompson worked four scoreless innings of relief in game one to pick up her third win of the season. She struck out six and scattered one hit in her 10th appearance of the season.
Thompson came on in relief of Currie, who started and worked four innings in her seventh start of the season. The Pisgah, Ala., native struck out seven, walked three and scattered two North Carolina hits.
North Carolina (6-6 overall) starter Amber Johnson went the distance, scattering three hits while striking out six. She walked four and dropped to 2-2 this season.
Game two was much of the same. Both Michigan and Auburn (6-8) were able to rally at various points of the game, but neither could maintain much momentum until the eighth inning when the Wolverines put five runs on the board to Auburn's one.
The Wolverines (10-1), designated as the visiting team in the game, scored their first runs of the game with a one-out, two-run single by Tiffany Worthy up the middle. The hit came off Thompson, who started the game and dropped to 3-4 this season.
Two batters later, and with Currie on in relief of Thompson, Teddi Ewing put Michigan up five with a three-run home run to deep center.
The Tigers did answer back in the bottom half of the inning. Fernandez singled home Myesha Finney with one out. Michigan, however, was able to get the next two outs with the bases loaded to end the game.
Thompson worked 7 1/3 innings against the Wolverines, scattering eight hits and four runs - three unearned - while striking out three.
Michigan's Lorilyn Wilson picked up the win and improved to 6-1 this season. She limited the Tigers to one run and six hits while striking out 10.
Both Worthy and Rebekah Milian had two hits to pace Michigan.
Auburn continues play at the NFCA Leadoff Classic Saturday. The Tigers face Southern Illinois at 10:30 a.m. ET, and follow that up with Hofstra at 1:30 p.m. ET. All games in the 12th annual NFCA Leadoff Classic are played at the South Commons Complex. Catch live stats on www.auburntigers.com.
Tiger Notes: The Tigers wore their orange uniforms for both games and are 2-4 in them this season ... The start in the first game was the 90th in Holly Currie's career ... The 90 is an Auburn record, two ahead of Kristen Keyes, who pitched for the Tigers from 2002-2004 ... The two errors in game one marked the first time in the team's first 13 games this season the Tigers committed more than one error ... The Tigers posted five sacrifice hits in the first game, which tied the program's single-game record ... The Tigers last achieved the feat May 9, 2003 against Tennessee ... Auburn is now 1-3 this season in extra-inning games ... Auburn went 2-3 in extra-inning games last season ... The Tigers are 0-3 against ranked teams this season.