Feb. 26, 2012
Boca Raton, Fla. - Branndi Melero drove in three runs while Lauren Guzman and Amber Harrison drove in two runs apiece to lead the No. 24/19 Auburn softball team to a 10-2 win over Loyola Marymount in the last day of the Strike Out Cancer Tournament.
Auburn finishes the tournament as the only undefeated team at 4-0 and improved overall to 14-0 with the win over Loyola, which fell to 8-6 with the loss.
Jenee Loree earned the win in relief to improve to 5-0. Loree pitched the final two and two-thirds innings, allowing one run, unearned, on one hit with one walk and four strikeouts. Lauren Schmalz started and went three and one-third innings, allowing one run, earned, on eight hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
Melero put the Tigers on the board in the bottom of the second with a three-run homer to left-center. Melero's home run was her second of the season and it came with Elizabeth Eisterhold and Brooke Lathan aboard to give Auburn a 3-0 lead. Eisterhold reached on a leadoff double to center and Lathan followed with a single to left, taking second on the relay thrown home.
Loyola answered in the top of the third when Sam Fischer doubled home Danielle Smith with two outs. Smith reached on a one-out single to start the Loyola rally. After giving up a single to Kelly Sarginson that put runners on the corners, Schmalz was able to work out of the jam when she forced Samantha Nelson to ground out to third with the score 3-1 in favor of the Tigers.
Loyola chased Schmalz from the game after loading the bases with one out in the top of the fourth inning. Consecutive singles by Brittany Pedra and Skylar Segura opened the inning and a one-out single by Kylie Ahlo loaded the bases. Loree was brought in and fanned Smith on a swinging third strike for the second out of the inning. On a 3-2 pitch, Loree ended the scoring threat when she forced Sterling Shuster to pop up to Lauren Guzman at short.
Amber Harrison increased the Tigers' lead with a one-out, bases-loaded double to right in the bottom of the fourth. Harrison's double scored Melero, who was hit by a pitch to open the frame, and Morgan Murphy, who singled to left, to give the Tigers a 5-1 lead.
Guzman followed with a single up the middle to score Maris Medina (fielder's choice) and Harrison to make it a 7-1 game.
Loyola put up a run in the top of the sixth after loading the bases with just one out. Segura opened the inning with a walk and was followed by a walk to Jennifer Olivares. Ahlo reached on an error to load the bases and, with two outs, Shuster hit a soft chopper to third that Morgan Murphy misplayed, allowing Segura to score to make it a 7-2 game.
The Tigers ended the game in the bottom of the sixth on the mercy rule, putting up three runs. With the bases loaded, Eisterhold singled in the hole at short to score Harrison (HBP) for an 8-2 lead. Lathan followed with a single to center that scored Guzman (walk) and Caitlin Jordan (single) for the final two runs of the game.