Feb. 13, 2013
Auburn, Ala. - Caitlin Jordan capped a sixth-inning, two-run rally with an RBI single that drove in the game-winning run as the Auburn softball team rallied for a 2-1 win over Samford Wednesday night at Jane B. Moore Field.
Auburn improved to 6-0 while Samford moved to 2-3. Auburn hosts Indiana State Thursday at 6 p.m.
"I'm proud of the way we came back and stayed calm tonight," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "Their pitcher had good stuff tonight and her pitches were really working. Our kids didn't panic, they stayed focused and fought back."
Marcy Harper improved to 3-0 with the complete-game win. Harper allowed one run, earned, on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
Mollie Hanson fell to 2-2 with the complete-game effort. Hanson allowed two runs, both earned, on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.
Through the first three innings of play, the Tigers and Bulldogs combined for just one batter reaching base. Morgan Estell was hit in the back in the bottom of the first inning, but was quickly erased on a line-out double play. From there, the Tigers were put down in order until the sixth inning.
Harper put the Bulldogs down in order, allowing just four balls hit out of the infield through the first four innings of play.
Estell again reached base, drawing a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth inning. A sac bunt by Branndi Melero pushed Estell to second with one out. Hanson, however, was able to work out of the jam by forcing a pair of infield ground outs to leave Estell stranded at second.
Callie Brister opened the top of the fifth with a clean single up the middle and took second base on a sac bunt. Casey Clark then delivered a double past a diving Brooke Lathan that plated pinch-runner Abby Adams to give Samford a 1-0 lead. With pinch-runner Madeline Baker at second, Harper fanned Caroline Wilder for the second out and forced a ground out to end the Samford rally.
The Tigers put the tying run aboard in the bottom of the fifth when Emily Carosone drew a one-out walk. A ground out to third moved Carosone to second, but Hanson again worked out of the jam by striking out Kelsey Bogaards to end the inning.
In the top of the sixth, Megan Dowdy singled up the middle with one out and advanced to third on a double to right by Madison Dickey. After Arica Dykes was put in to run for Dickey, Harper hit Alex Adams to load the bases. Brister followed with a ground ball to Carosone at third, who threw home for the force out. With two outs and the bases loaded, Harper worked out of the inning with a fly out to center.
The Tigers rallied in the bottom of the sixth. Tiffany Howard broke-up the no-hit bid with a clean leadoff double to left. Estell followed with a four-pitch walk to put runners at second and first. Melero then popped up to third base on a sac bunt attempt for the first out of the inning. Hanson picked up the second out of the inning on a called third strike with Lathan at the plate.
On a 2-2 pitch with two outs, McKenzie Kilpatrick laced a single to left that plated Howard to tie the game. Estell took third while Kilpatrick took second on the throw. Caitlin Jordan gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead with a single through the left side, plating Estell. Hanson ended the Auburn rally by forcing Carosone to fly out to left.
In the top of the seventh, Harper forced Clark into a ground out to third for the first out of the inning but put the tying run on board when she hit Wilder. The Tigers picked up the second out when Caroline Seay lined out to center on the first pitch of the at-bat. Harper closed out the Bulldogs when she forced Kayla Shaffer to pop up to Bogaards at shortstop to end the game.