April 5, 2009
Fayetteville, Ark. - Myesha Finney's two-out, two-strike, two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning lifted the Auburn softball team to a 5-4 victory over Arkansas Sunday afternoon.
Auburn improved to 27-13 overall and 7-7 in the Southeastern Conference. Arkansas dropped to 22-15 overall and 9-6 in the SEC. The win gave the Tigers the series win over the Hogs after splitting Saturday's double-header. Auburn returns to action with a three-game series against Tennessee in Knoxville April 10-11.
"I can't say enough about the effort of our team today," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "We overcame two deficits and kept battling the whole day. Myesha is one of the seniors we've relied on all year and she really came through for us again today."
Jenee Loree earned the win to improve to 11-5. Loree threw the final 5.0 innings, giving up one run, earned, on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Anna Thompson started and threw the first 2.0 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on two hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
Kim Jones moved to 6-8 after taking the loss in relief. Jones allowed two runs, all earned, on three hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Miranda Dixon started and went 5.0 innings, giving up three runs, all earned, on seven hits with two walks and no strikeouts.
Elizabeth Eisterhold gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Kyndall White opened the game with a single to left and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Lindsey Harrelson. Tatiana Fernandez singled off the wall in center to move White to third. Eisterhold then lofted a sac fly to deep center to score White and give the Tigers the early edge.
The Hogs took the lead on the strength of a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Amie Hubbard hit a pop up behind the bag at second that was dropped by shortstop Lauren Guzman. Dixon then followed with a home run that just cleared the wall in left-center to give Arkansas a 2-1 lead. The Hogs made it back-to-back dingers when Sandra Smith blasted a solo shot to left-center to make it a 3-1 Arkansas lead.
The home run for Dixon was her sixth of the season, while Smith's was her fourth of the year.
The Tigers cut into the Arkansas lead in the fourth inning when Cassie Trosclair launched a solo home run over the wall in right to make it a 3-2 game. It was Trosclair's first career home run and came with two outs in the inning.
Amber Harrison tied the game with a two-out single through the right side in the top of the fifth inning. After the first two hitters of the inning were retired, Myesha Finney reached when she was hit by a pitch. The HBP was the 62nd of her career and tied the NCAA record held by Cheryl Wyrick (2000-01) of Liberty.
With Harrison at the plate, Finney advanced to second on a wild pitch from Dixon. On a 2-2 pitch, Harrison laced a ground ball that went just under the glove of Kayla Johnson at second to bring Finney home and even the game at 3-3.
Arkansas recaptured the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Smith hit her second home run of the game to give the Hogs a 4-3 lead. Smith's home run came on the first pitch of the inning from Loree and was a line drive shot to left-center.
In the seventh, Lindsey Harrelson doubled to right to open the inning and moved to third on a ground out to first by Fernandez. After Eisterhold struck out for the second out of the inning, Finney worked the count to 3-2 and fouled off nine pitches before blasting the game-winning home run over the fence in right. It was Finney's sixth home run of the season and her fourth game-winning RBI of the season.