Feb. 11, 2010
Tempe, Ariz. - Despite a 13-strikeout, two-hit performance from Auburn pitcher Anna Thompson the defending national champion Washington Huskies claimed a 5-0 victory as pitcher Danielle Lawrie tossed a perfect game against the Tigers.
Auburn (0-1) returns to action Friday night at 8 p.m. CT against No. 5 Arizona State in the second game of the Kajikawa Classic tournament.
Washington (1-0) pitcher Danielle Lawrie held the Tigers without a base runner marking the first perfect game thrown against the Tigers in the program's history. The Tigers were last no-hit on April 26, 2009, against Alabama in game three of that series.
Lawrie (1-0) faced the minimum 21 batters, striking out 16. Lawrie also went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and a solo home run.
Thompson (0-1) took the loss for the Tigers. Thompson threw 5.0 innings, fanned 13, walked two, hit one batter and had one wild pitch. Thompson gave up two runs, both earned, on solo home runs. Thompson was lifted after the fifth inning with Washington leading 2-0.
Angel Bunner threw the final 2.0 innings for Auburn, allowing three runs, all earned, on three hits. Bunner walked one and struck out three.
Washington jumped on top in the first inning when Jenn Salling drilled a two-out solo home run over the fence in left-center. Thompson then issued a walk to Niki Williams, but ended the inning by striking out Morgan Stuart.
After giving up the solo home run and walk, Thompson settled down and struck out the next seven batters that stepped to the plate for Washington. Thompson fanned Lawrie swinging for the first out of the second inning and Shawna Wright swinging for the second out. A called third strike on Hooch Fagaly ended the second inning for the Huskies.
Salling snapped Thompson's streak of whiffs by popping up to Kyndall White at shortstop to leadoff the fourth inning. Thompson quickly returned to form, as the Huntsville, Ala., native fanned Williams looking and Stuart swinging to end the top of the fourth inning.
Lawrie snapped Thompson's streak of consecutive outs at 10 when she led off the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run the cleared the fence in center. The solo shot gave Washington a 2-0 lead.
The Huskies added to their lead in the top of the sixth. Salling singled and later scored from third on a wild pitch by Bunner to push the Washington lead to 3-0. An RBI single by Lawrie scored Williams and gave the Huskies a 4-0 lead.
Hooch Fagaly pushed the Washington lead to 5-0 with a solo home run to center to open the top of the seventh inning. The solo shot capped the scoring for the game.
Auburn's Caitlin Stangl nearly broke up the perfect game bid with a line drive to left that was caught by a sliding Kimi Pohlman for the second in the bottom of the seventh. Lawrie then ended the game with a swinging strikeout of White.