April 17, 2010
Athens, Ga. - The Auburn softball team left a combined 13 runners on base as the 13th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs swept a series-opening doubleheader from the Tigers Saturday afternoon. Georgia won game one 7-0 and game two 7-5.
Auburn's record fell to 23-19 overall and 6-13 in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia improved to 35-8 overall and 13-6 in the SEC. The Tigers and Bulldogs conclude the series with a single game beginning at noon CT Sunday.
In game two, Georgia used a four-run fifth inning to break a tie game and then held on for a 7-5 victory. Auburn put up a single run in the sixth and seventh innings, but was unable to overcome the deficit.
Anna Thompson started for the Tigers and went 2.0 innings, allowing three runs, all earned, on four hits with one walk and no strikeouts. Lauren Schmalz took the loss in relief to fall to 2-2. Schmalz threw 2.2 innings, allowing four runs, none earned, on three hits with two walks and one strikeout.
Sarah McCloud went 3.0 innings in the start for Georgia, allowing three runs, all earned, on five hits with two walks and one strikeout. Alison Owen earned the win in relief to move to 10-0. Owen tossed 4.0 innings, allowing two runs, both earned, on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Georgia jumped on top first in game two when Megan Wiggins drove a 3-2 pitch from Thompson over the wall in right for a solo home run and 1-0 UGA lead in the bottom of the first inning. It was Wiggins' 10th home run of the season.
Still in the first, Alisa Goler cranked a two-out, solo home run to center that pushed the Georgia lead to 2-0. It was Goler's ninth home run of the season.
The Bulldogs made it 3-0 when Jennie Auger ripped a leadoff home run to left to open the bottom of the second inning. It was the third home run of the game for UGA and fifth of the season for Auger.
Auburn tied the game in the third inning with a two-out, three-run home run from Lauren Guzman. It was Guzman's fourth home run of the season and it came with Elizabeth Eisterhold (walk) and Kelsey Cartwright (single) aboard. Guzman's shot hit off the top of the wall in right and bounced over for the game-tying dinger.
Georgia regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, taking advantage of two Auburn errors to score four runs with two outs. Ashley Razey battled through a nine-pitch at-bat from Schmalz and laced a single to right-center that plated Laura Trout (single) and Taylor Schlopy (error) for a 5-3 UGA lead. Kristyn Sandberg followed with a single to right that scored Alisa Goler (IBB) and pinch-runner Sara Sikes (for Razey) to make it a 7-3 Bulldog lead.
In the seventh inning, Eisterhold cranked a one-out, solo home run to center to cut the UGA lead to 7-5. It was Eisterhold's sixth home run of the season. But Owen would retire the next two Auburn hitters to seal the victory for the Bulldogs.
In game one, the Bulldogs put up four runs in the first and cruised to a 7-0 win over the Tigers.
Angel Bunner (6-7) started and took the loss for Auburn, going only two-thirds of an inning. Bunner allowed four runs, all earned, on five hits. Lauren Schmalz relieved Bunner and went 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit.
Sarah McCloud (7-1) started and earned the win. McCloud allowed five hits, walked one and fanned six in 5.0 innings of work. Alison Owen relieved McCloud to open the sixth and threw the final 2.0 innings, allowing one hit and striking out two.
Georgia wasted no time getting on the board, pushing four runs across in the bottom of the first inning. Taylor Schlopy singled in the hole at short to lead off the inning and, in a sequence of three consecutive pitches, moved to second on a passed ball, stole third and scored on a single to center by Megan Wiggins.
A ground out by Brianna Hesson moved Wiggins to second and Alisa Goler followed with a double to put runners at third and second with only one out. After a foul out, Kristyn Sandberg drilled a 3-1 pitch to the wall in right for a two-run double. Wiggins and Goler scored, giving UGA a 3-0 lead. Jennie Auger followed with a single through the right side to score Sandberg and make it a 4-0 game.
The Tigers were unable to take advantage of several scoring opportunities, stranding six runners through the first five innings of play. Auburn put two runners on with one out in the first inning, two runners on with no outs in the second inning and two runners on with no outs in the fifth inning, but was unable to pick up a hit to push a run home.
Georgia added t o its lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Laura Trout hit a leadoff home run to left on an 0-2 pitch to make it a 5-0 game in favor of the Bulldogs. Schlopy followed with single to shallow left, and with one out, Brianna Hesson launched a home run to centerfield to make it a 7-0 and cap the scoring for the game.