March 13, 2011
Fayetteville, Ark. - Hilary Mavromat provided the only offense of the day with a two-run homer and pitcher Angel Bunner tossed a three-hit shutout as the No. 24 Auburn softball team completed a series sweep of Arkansas with a 2-0 victory Sunday afternoon.
Auburn improved to 22-2 overall and 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference. Arkansas moved to 9-15 overall and 0-3 in the SEC. The Tigers return to action with a double-header Wednesday, March 16, against No. 3 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Both games will be aired live by CSS.
"Angel did a fantastic job today," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "She worked out of a couple opportunities Arkansas created. She kept us in the game until our bats could get something going."
Bunner improved to 6-1 with the complete-game victory. Bunner scattered three hits, walked three and struck out five to notch the series sweep for the Tigers.
Kim Jones (2-5) started and took the loss for Arkansas. Jones allowed two runs, both earned, on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts in seven innings of work.
Neither team was able to generate much offense through the first four innings of play. Caitlin Stangl gave the Tigers the first hit of the game with a single through the left side with two outs in the top of the third, but Jones forced a ground out from Morgan Estell to end the inning one batter later.
Arkansas' only base runner through three innings came on a one-out walk to Stephanie Brewer in the bottom of the second inning. Bunner, however, never let Brewer advance past first as she retired the next two hitters to end the inning.
Becca Carden picked up the first Arkansas hit of the day, on a one-out single to right in the bottom of the fourth inning. After a ground out forced Carden to second, Bunner walked Brewer to put two on with two outs. Bunner worked out of the jam when she forced Jennifer Rambo to hit into a ground out to second to end the inning.
The Tigers broke the offensive drought in the top of the fifth inning. With two outs, Kelley Smiley tripled to the wall in center to give Auburn its first runner in scoring position in the game. Mavromat followed with a rainbow-like home run that just stayed fair as it cleared the left field foul pole. It was Mavromat's fourth home run of the season and it gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, Jayme Gee led-off with a single up the middle. Gee was the first leadoff hitter to reach base for either team. A sac bunt from Brittany Griffiths moved Gee to second. Bunner forced Tori Mort into a pop-up to short for the second out of the inning. Gee was left stranded on base when Ashley Martindale grounded out to Kyndall White at third base. Gee was the fourth Arkansas base runner left stranded through five innings.
The Tigers appeared headed for a one-two-three inning in the bottom of the sixth, but with two outs Kyndall White skipped the throw to first on a ground ball by Courtney Breault. Breault was able to advance to second on the error and give the Razorbacks a runner in scoring position, but Bunner ended a potential rally by inducing Brewer into a ground out to end the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Rambo led off with a single through the right side and moved to second when Bunner walked Gee on four pitches. With the tying runs on base, Bunner forced Griffiths into a pop-up to first for the first out of the inning and fanned pinch-hitter Layne McGuirt for the second out. On a 1-0 pitch, pinch-hitter Amanda Caldwell popped-up to Bunner who made the catch to end the game.