March 25, 2007
STARKVILLE, Miss.- Ashley Arcuri went 2 for 3 and Anna Thompson worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings, holding down a Mississippi State rally in the seventh, as the Auburn softball team defeated the Bulldogs, 2-1, Sunday in the final game of a three-game series at the MSU Softball Field.
The Bulldogs started the inning with a single by Blair Hewett, who was pinch run for by Rachel Hurley. She moved to second on a sac bunt, then to third on a ground out by Chelsea Bramlett. With two outs, Nakita Boyce made contact with a Thompson pitch, but was ruled out after stepping on the plate.
The win improved Auburn to 15-19 overall this season and 4-7 in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs dropped to 20-15 overall and 4-7 in SEC.
"This was a tightly played game," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "We got ahead early and held them at the end. Anna came on in relief and did a great job. It got close at the end, and we were able to hold on."
Thompson took the win and improved to 9-9 this season. She limited the Bulldogs to one hit while striking out one and walking two.
Auburn scored two in the third to take the lead for the first time in the series. Brittany Scott reached on an error with one out and moved to second when Holly Currie walked. Scott came around to score when the next batter, Arcuri, singled to right center. It was Arcuri's first RBI in conference play this season.
With Currie at third and Arcuri at first and two down, Fernandez walked on five pitches. That set the table for Finney, who chopped a ball to third base and reached when Mississippi State could not handle the ball cleanly. It was ruled a single for Finney and the Tigers had a 2-0 lead.
The Bulldogs chipped at the lead in the fourth, but strong defense by the Tigers kept Mississippi State from tying the game. The Bulldogs put runners at second and third with one out when Jessie Bailey singled through the right side off Auburn starter Brittany Day. That hit initially scored Hayle Guess from third, but the throw from right fielder Sara Ghezzi caught Courtney Bures at the plate, preserving the Tigers' lead.
Day started for the sixth time this season and worked 3 2/3 innings. She scattered six hits and one run while striking out one but did not figure in the decision.
Kelli Miller started and took the loss for Mississippi State, falling to 8-6 this season. She struck out one and walked two while allowing three Tiger hits.
The Tigers rapped out four hits in the win, headed by Arcuri, who singled in the third and fifth innings while batting in the No. 3 slot in the order for the first time in her career.
Auburn now has a quick turnaround, traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., for a Tuesday doubleheader with Arkansas. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT. Catch the games live on www.auburntigers.com and WZMG-AM (910).
Tiger Notes: Myesha Finney was hit by a pitch in the second inning for the 13th time this season, putting her one shy of tying Sarah Orozco's single-season record of 14 set in 2000 ... Finney now has 22 hit by pitches in two seasons at Auburn and trails Orozco (24 from 1999-2000) and Ashley Moore (26 from 1999-2002) for most in program history ... Ashley Arcuri had her fifth multiple-hit effort in the last 10 games.