April 29, 2007
AUBURN - Tatiana Fernandez's two-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh gave the Auburn softball team a 3-0 victory over South Carolina Sunday at Jane B. Moore Field.
Fernandez took an 0-1 pitch from South Carolina starter Melissa Hendon and hit the scoreboard in left field, giving Auburn a three-game sweep of the Gamecocks. Fernandez's home run was her sixth this season and capped off Auburn's three-hit inning. The round-tripper scored Krista Klein and Sara Ghezzi and sent Auburn to a 25-30 record overall and 10-18 mark in Southeastern Conference play this season.
More importantly, the home run kept Auburn's hopes alive for a berth in the SEC Tournament, which will be played May 10-12 at Jane B. Moore Field. The Tigers must await their fate and watch the South Carolina scoreboard. The Gamecocks are 10-15 in SEC games this season and must get swept next week by Ole Miss in Columbia. If South Carolina wins one game during the three-game series, the Gamecocks will clinch a berth in the tournament.
"We played a great game today," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "We got great pitching from Holly (Currie) and Anna (Thompson) and extremely timely hitting by Tatiana. All we can do now is wait and hope for the best from Ole Miss."
Currie and Thompson combined for seven shutout innings, scattering five South Carolina hits along the way. Currie started the game and worked five innings, striking out seven in her 142nd career appearance and final in an SEC regular season game.
Thompson relieved Currie in the sixth and got the game's final six outs, five by strikeout. She got out of a jam in the seventh, stranding a runner at third to end the inning. It was the only the second time in her 14 innings against the Gamecocks over the weekend that South Carolina was able to advance a runner past second base.
"Anna was absolutely dominating against South Carolina," Deese said of Thompson, now 14-15 this season. "She showed maturity not typical of a freshman."
Hendon had a perfect game through six innings, but allowed Ashley Arcuri to reach on a single to start the seventh. Arcuri was forced out at second on an attempted sacrifice bunt by Lauren Walton, who then moved to second on a stolen base.
Hendon then walked Currie intentionally, setting up a potential game-ending play at the plate. Sara Ghezzi singled to left field, and watched as Walton was nipped at the plate on a throw by South Carolina left fielder Adele Voigt.
That play, however, turned out to matter little as Fernandez gave Hendon her 14th loss of the season with the shot to left center.
Hendon struck out four and walked one in the loss.
The game marked the final of the season in SEC play for Auburn, which wraps up its regular season by hosting Florida State and Mercer May 6 at 1 p.m. CT.
Tiger Notes: Anna Thompson's five strikeouts gave her 288 for this season, which moves her into second on the AU single-season list ... She surpassed Holly Currie, who had 286 last season ... Thompson ended the weekend with three wins, 26 strikeouts, five hits against and no runs allowed in 14 innings against the Gamecocks ... Tatiana Fernandez has six multiple-RBI efforts this season and 16 for her career.