May 9, 2010
Auburn, Ala. - Back-to-back home runs from Kyndall White and Elizabeth Eisterhold in the first inning provided all the offense the Auburn softball team needed to complete a three-game sweep of Arkansas with a 2-1 victory Sunday afternoon on Senior Day at Jane B. Moore Field.
Auburn improved to 30-23 overall and 11-17 in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers earned the seventh seed in the SEC Tournament and will face either Alabama or Florida. Arkansas dropped to 28-28 overall and 10-18 in the SEC.
"It's a great feeling ending the regular season with a sweep," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "For our seniors to be able to win the last three games at home is a tremendous feeling and we are all very happy for them. Kyndall and Elizabeth came up with the big hits and Holly (Ragsdale) and Anna (Thompson) each threw well and kept Arkansas from getting anything going."
Thompson earned the win in relief for Auburn to improve to 17-8. Thompson threw the final 5.0 innings, allowing one hit, two walks and striking out 11. Holly Ragsdale started for the Tigers and went 2.0 innings, allowing one run, earned, on one hit with one walk and one strikeout.
Layne McGuirt went the distance and took the loss for Arkansas. McGuirt (8-10) allowed two runs, both earned, on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
Miranda Dixon gave Arkansas a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to center in the top of the first inning. Jessica Bachkora drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sac bunt. A single by Becca Smith moved Bachkora to third, setting up Dixon's RBI.
The Tigers quickly answered the Arkansas run when White cranked a solo home run to left to even the game at 1-1. It was White's 12th home run of the season and the 20th of her career which moved her into a tie for eighth in Auburn history. White's home run gave the Tigers a dinger in nine straight games, tying the team record first set by the 2002 squad.
Eisterhold followed White with a towering solo home run to right that gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead. Eisterhold's home run came on a 1-2 pitch and was her 10th of the season and 17th of her career.
Neither pitcher would allow a run after the first inning. McGuirt would allow a walk and a single over the next six innings of work and retired the final nine Auburn hitters of the game.
Thompson relieved Ragsdale to open the third inning and struck out 11 of the 20 batters she faced. The Razorbacks put two runners on in the fifth inning via a walk and a single, but Thompson worked out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts. Arkansas got the tying run on in the top of the seventh on a two-out walk, but Thompson got Becca Carden swinging for strike three to end the game.