May 8, 2010
Auburn, Ala. -
Senior Lindsey Harrelson and junior Kyndall White each hit walk-off home runs to give the Auburn softball team a doubleheader sweep of Arkansas and secure a berth in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Auburn won game one, 4-3, and game two, 3-2 in eight innings.
Auburn improved to 29-23 overall and 10-17 in the SEC. Arkansas dropped 28-27 overall and 10-17 in SEC play. The Tigers and Razorbacks conclude the series with a single game Sunday beginning at 12:06 p.m. CT. Sunday's game is Senior Day and "Bark in the Park" where fans can bring their dogs to the game.
Sunday's series finale will be televised live by SportSouth, Sun Sports, FOX Sports Southwest, FOX Sports Houston, FOX Sports South in Kentucky. To check on availability for Sunday's televised game, go to http://msn.foxsports.com/tv/schedule.
ESPN3.com will carry the live telecast online at http://espn.go.com/broadband/espn360/index?id=9187.
"I am so proud of the way our team fought today," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "It was a very good day for our team leaders with Kyndall getting the big hit in the second game and Anna (Thompson) throwing well. Everybody hung in and found a way to get it done."
In game two, White led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a game-winning homer to left. It came on a 3-1 pitch and gave the Tiger a 3-2 victory. It marked the eighth consecutive game with a home run for the Tigers, the second-longest streak in team history. The team record is nine straight games set in 2005.
Thompson earned the win in relief for Auburn to improve to 16-8. Thompson went 3.2 innings without allowing a hit, walked one and struck out six. Jenee Loree started and went 4.1 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
Hope McLemore (14-12) took the loss in relief after allowing one run, earned, on one hit in two-thirds of an inning.
Arkansas took a 1-0 lead when Miranda Dixon singled home Jessica Bachkora in the top of the first inning. Bachkora was hit by a pitch to open the game and moved to second a sac bunt from Becca Carden. A single just over Kyndall White's glove at third moved Bachkora to third, setting up Dixon's RBI single.
The Tigers tied the game in the second inning. Elizabeth Eisterhold singled to open the bottom of the inning and was lifted for pinch-runner Megan Mitchell. A sac bunt from Kelsey Cartwright moved Mitchell to second and a passed ball put her at third. Kelley Smiley then lofted a sacrifice fly to left that scored Mitchell to tie the game at 1-1.
Arkansas took advantage of an Auburn error to plate the go-ahead run in the fourth inning. Layne McGuirt led off and reached on a throwing error by White. McGuirt advanced to second on the error and came in to score on a single up the middle by Brittany Griffiths for a 2-1 Arkansas lead.
Trailing by a run, the Tigers rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Lauren Guzman singled up the middle with one out, and stole second to move into scoring position. Krista Clyde then laced a single up the middle that plated Guzman and tied the game 2-2.
Tied in the bottom of the eighth inning, White led off with a solo home run to left to give the Tigers a 3-2 win. It was White's 11th home run of the season and the 19th of her career.
In game one, Lindsey Harrelson hit a walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Auburn a 4-3 victory.
Auburn improved to 28-23 overall and 9-17 in the Southeastern Conference. Arkansas dropped to 28-26 overall and 10-16 in the SEC.
Lauren Schmalz earned the win in relief to improve to 3-2. Schmalz tossed the final 3.0 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out one. Angel Bunner started for Auburn and went 4.0 innings, allowing three runs, all earned, on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
Hope McLemore (14-11) went the distance in taking the loss. McLemore allowed four runs, all earned, on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts.
Arkansas jumped on the board in the top of the first inning when Becca Carden cranked a one-out, solo home run over the wall in left. It was Carden's second home run of the season and gave the Hogs a 1-0 lead.
The Razorbacks added another run in the first inning when Courtney Breault doubled home Sandra Smith for a 2-0 Hogs' lead. Smith reached when she was hit by a pitch and came around to score from first on Breault's double to right.
The Arkansas lead was quickly erased when Elizabeth Eisterhold launched a two-out, two-run home run to center to even the game at 2-2. It was Eisterhold's ninth home run of the season and came with Kyndall White (walk) aboard. Eisterhold's two-run shot extended Auburn's streak of consecutive games with a home run to seven, tying the second longest streak in team history.
Kelsey Cartwright gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead with a lead-off home run in the bottom of the second inning. It was Cartwright's second home run of the season and came on a 2-2 pitch from McLemore.
The Razorbacks responded with a game-tying, solo home run from Jessica Bachkora in the top of the third inning. It was Bachkora's 15th home run of the season and even the game at 3-3.
The game would remain tied going into the bottom of the seventh inning. McLemore retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the seventh, bringing Harrelson to the plate. Harrelson worked the count to 2-2 and then launched her first home run of the season over the wall in left to give the Tigers a walk-off 4-3 victory.