March 27, 2010
Columbia, S.C. - The Tigers played long ball as Krista Clyde hit two home runs and Elizabeth Eisterhold hit one as to lead the Auburn softball team to a doubleheader sweep of South Carolina Saturday afternoon. Auburn won game one 4-1 and game two 5-3.
The Tigers improved to 18-12 overall and 4-6 in Southeastern Conference play. South Carolina fell to 10-21 overall and 0-12 in the SEC. Auburn and South Carolina wrap up the series at noon Sunday with a single game.
"Obviously we are happy to get two wins today," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "Krista came through with two very big hits in the first game. Elizabeth's shot came at a big moment in the second game after South Carolina had cut into our lead. It turned the momentum back in our favor."
Angel Bunner improved to 7-5 after going 4.1 innings and giving up three runs, all earned, on seven hits with no walks and one strikeout. Anna Thompson earned her fifth save of the season after throwing the final 2.2 innings, giving up two hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Thompson finished the day with 14 strikeouts, leaving her 23 shy of 1,000 for her career with 977.
It was Thompson's 14th career save and tied her for sixth place in SEC history with Chrissy Owens (2005-06) of Alabama. Thompson is two saves shy of a tie for third place in league history and is Auburn's career saves leader.
Ashley Chastain took the loss for South Carolina after tossing 5.0 innings, allowing four runs, all unearned, on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
Auburn took advantage of two South Carolina errors to take the early lead. With two outs in the second inning, Gamecocks' third baseman Hannah Milks threw wild to first on a ground ball hit by Lauren Guzman. The throw allowed Kelsey Cartwright (walk) to score from third for a 1-0 Auburn lead.
Still in the second, with Aurora Salter (walk) at third and Guzman at second, Caitlin Stangl reached on an infield single to plate Salter. But, the throw to first after Stangl reached was wild and allowed Guzman to score to push the Auburn lead to 3-0.
South Carolina's fourth error of the game gave the Tigers another run. Amber Harrison doubled with one out in the fifth inning and scored when Krista Clyde's sac bunt was fielded cleanly by Chastain, but the throw was high of first. Harrison's run made it 4-0.
The Gamecocks got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning. April Borchardt opened with a leadoff double and came in to score on Kandyce Redondo's single up the middle to make it a 4-1 game. After Milks singled to left to put runners at first and second with one out, Bunner was lifted for Thompson.
After a strikeout, Thompson gave up a line drive double to left-center that scored both runners and cut the Auburn lead to 4-3. A wild pitch on ball four to P.J. Fulmer moved Mendes to third, but Thompson ended the rally when Evan Childs fouled out to shortstop Guzman.
Eisterhold gave the Tigers a little breathing room with a leadoff home run in the sixth inning. Eisterhold's blast sailed over the wall in left-center to give Auburn a 5-3 lead. It was Eisterhold's third home run of the season and the 10th of her career.
Thompson set the Gamecocks down in order in the sixth inning and one two-out hit in the bottom of the seventh to close the door and preserve the 5-3 victory.
In game one, Krista Clyde hit a pair of two-out, two-run home runs as the Tigers posted a 4-1 victory over the Gamecocks. The win moved Auburn to 17-12 overall and 3-6 in SEC play. South Carolina dropped to 10-20 overall and 0-11 in the SEC.
Anna Thompson improved to 8-5 after throwing a complete game. Thompson went 7.0 innings, allowing two hits, allowing one run, unearned, walking two and striking out 10.
Kelsey Goodwin started and took the loss for South Carolina to fall to 0-11. Goodwin allowed four runs, all earned, on four hits in 7.0 innings of work. Goodwin walked only one and fanned seven.
Pitching dominated through the first four innings of play as the Tigers and Gamecocks managed just one hit apiece. Thompson fanned seven through four innings, while Goodwin had four strikeouts for the Gamecocks.
The Tigers broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth inning. Katie Colton drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on Lauren Guzman's sac bunt. After a strikeout for the second out of the inning, Clyde drilled a line drive over the wall in right for a two-run homer to give AU a 2-0 lead.
It was Clyde's second home run of the season and the fourth of her career. In the top of the seventh, Clyde smacked her fifth career home run and second of the game. This time going over the wall in left, with Colton aboard, to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead.
South Carolina took advantage of an Auburn error to plate a run in the bottom of the seventh, but with a runner a first Thompson ended the game on her 10th strikeout to seal the 4-1 win.