March 9, 2012
Auburn, Ala. - Auburn pitchers Angel Bunner and Lauren Schmalz each threw complete-game shutouts and Elizabeth Eisterhold drove in four of the team's six runs as the No. 20/19 Tigers beat Louisiana Tech and George Washington by identical 3-0 scores in the first day of the War Eagle Classic.
Auburn improved to 18-3 with the wins and will next play Drexel at 10 a.m. and Evansville at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
"I am really proud of the job our pitchers did today," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "We weren't great offensively. We never really strung together anything, but we did just enough to get the wins."
In two games Friday, Auburn pitchers did not allow a run, did not issue a walk, allowed just four hits and struck out 13 batters.
In the second game of the day, Caitlin Schultze drove in two runs while Schmalz allowed just three hits in a 3-0 win over George Washington. Schmalz improved to 6-2, allowing one hit in the third inning, one in the sixth inning and one in the bottom of the seventh, in a complete-game effort. Schmalz fanned nine and did not issue a walk.
Schultze gave the Tiger a 2-0 lead with a two-out, two-run single in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, Elizabeth Eisterhold singled and then moved to third on a double to the wall in center by Amber Harrison. After a two-out walk to McKenzie Kilpatrick, Schultze took a 1-2 pitch through the left side to score Eisterhold and Harrison to give the Tigers the lead.
Eisterhold picked up her fourth RBI of the day with an RBI single that scored Brooke Lathan in the top of the fifth inning. Lathan reached on a one-out single and quickly moved into scoring position when she stole second base. With two outs, Eisterhold laced a single to left-center to score Lathan and push the Auburn lead to 3-0.
Schmalz would make the lead hold over the final two innings as the Tigers remained unbeaten at home this season, improving to 10-0.
Against Louisiana Tech, Elizabeth Eisterhold drove in three runs and pitcher Angel Bunner tossed her fourth shutout of the season as the Tigers won 3-0.
Bunner improved to 7-0 with the win. Bunner went the distance, giving up just one hit and one walk and striking out four.
Michelle Jones (6-5) started and took the loss, going four and one-third innings. Jones allowed three runs, all earned, on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Eisterhold gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead with a two-out, two-run double in the bottom of third. With one out, Lauren Guzman drew a walk and was followed by Brooke Lathan who singled sharply up the middle. A ground out by Caitlin Jordan moved the runners to third and second, setting up Eisterhold's run-scoring double to left-center.
Eisterhold drove in her third run of the game with a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth. Guzman led off with a single and moved to second when Jordan drew a one-out walk. Eisterhold then laced a hard-hit single down the line in left to score Guzman and give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
The Tigers would not score another run in the game, but Bunner would retire the final eight straight Louisiana Tech hitters to complete the 3-0 victory.