March 7, 2009
Auburn, Ala. - More than six hours of softball at Jane B. Moore Field saw the Auburn Tigers sweep a double-header from the Ole Miss Rebels Saturday afternoon in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
Auburn won game one 9-8 in 13 innings and game two 4-3 to improve to 19-6 overall and 2-0 in SEC play. Ole Miss dropped to 11-8 overall and 0-2 in league play.
"These were two great wins for our team," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "We battled back and didn't give up, and I am very proud of the effort and toughness of our team."
The Tigers and Rebels conclude their series with a 1 p.m. game Sunday.
In game two, Tatiana Fernandez's single through the left side scored Katie Colton and completed a last at-bat rally as the Tigers won 4-3 in seven innings.
Jenee Loree (8-2) earned the win after throwing 7.0 innings and allowing three runs, all earned, on five hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.
Becky Nye (7-5) took the loss after going 6.2 innings and giving up four runs, all earned, on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Michelle May gave Ole Miss a 1-0 lead with a solo home run to left to leadoff the second inning.
The Tigers quickly erased the deficit as Amber Harrison hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning to give Auburn a 2-1 lead. It was Harrison's first home run of the season and came with Taryn Gray aboard, who doubled to open the frame.
The Rebels tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth when Lauren Grill scored on Ashley Dowdy's sac fly to center. Grill opened the inning with a triple off the wall in right.
Dowdy came through for the Rebels again, this time with a solo home run to left-center to lead-off the top of the seventh to give Ole Miss a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Harrison led off with a single and was lifted for pinch-runner Cassie Trosclair. Colton followed with a single to put runners on first and second with no outs. A walk to Lindsey Harrelson loaded the bases for Kyndall White, who grounded out to first and forced Trosclair home to tie the game at 3-3.
Fernandez followed with a single through the left side to score Colton and give Auburn a 4-3 win and a double-header sweep.
In game one, after giving up five runs in the top of the seventh to trail 7-3 the Tigers rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game and send it to extra innings where Taryn Gray's RBI single drove home the winning as Auburn won 9-8 in 13 innings.
The game was the longest since the Tigers played 13 innings at Florida State on April 15, 2000. Auburn won that game 5-4. In game time, the Tigers and Rebels played 4:13.
Holly Ragsdale (1-0) earned her first win of the season after throwing 7.0 innings in relief of starter Jenee Loree. Ragsdale allowed three runs, one earned, on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Loree went 6.0 innings, allowing five runs, two earned, on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
Lindsey Perry (3-3) took the loss after giving up two runs, one earned, on six hits in 6.2 innings of relief work.
With Auburn leading 3-2, Ole Miss rallied in the top of the seventh inning. Pinch-hitter Molly Goza singled and was replaced by Alyssa McGovern who moved to second on a single by Corrine Doornberg. Lisa Conchos then hit a ground ball that was booted by Kyndall White at short, which allowed McGovern to score and tie the game at 3-3.
Loree was then lifted for Ragsdale, who entered with runners at first and second and no outs. A sac bunt by Lauren Grill moved the runners to second and third. May then followed with a single up the middle that scored both runners and gave Ole Miss a 5-3 lead.
A throwing error by Amber Harrison at first on a sac bunt allowed Ashley Dowdy to reach and move pinch-runner Amanda Hutcheson to third, Amber Tramp doubled to the wall in center to score both runners and push the Ole Miss lead to 7-3.
In the bottom of the seventh, Myesha Finney drew a leadoff walk, the first Auburn walk of the game, and moved to second on a single by Lauren Guzman. On a 3-2 pitch, Tatiana Fernandez blasted a home run over the wall in left to make it a 7-6 Ole Miss lead. White then followed with a solo shot over the wall in left-center to tie the game at 7-7. Starter Becky Nye was then lifted for Perry.
Each team would score a run in the ninth inning to make it an 8-8 game, before Gray drove home White with a single to center to end the game in the 13th inning.