March 23, 2013
Tuscaloosa, Ala. - The Auburn softball team got a four-hit, two-RBI performance from Emily Carosone and a complete-game effort from pitcher Marcy Harper in a 7-4 defeat of the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday afternoon.
Auburn improved to 21-12 overall and 2-6 in the Southeastern Conference. Alabama dropped to 28-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC. The win snapped an 18-game losing streak to the Tide and a 10-game losing streak to Alabama at Rhoads Stadium. Auburn's last win in the series came on April 25, 2006 and the last win in Tuscaloosa came on March 22, 2005.
"I am tremendously happy for our players and proud of the effort they gave today," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "We battled back after getting behind early and never cracked. I thought Marcy did a really good job of never letting them get a big inning going. They put runners on, but couldn't get a hit off her to get anyone home. We're going to enjoy this tonight and get ready for a big game tomorrow."
The teams combined for 21 runners left on base, with Auburn leaving a season-high 12 and Alabama leaving nine runners on base.
Marcy Harper improved to 11-5 with her ninth complete game of the season. Harper allowed four runs, all earned, on nine hits with three walks and no strikeouts. It marked the first time since April 18, 2009, against No. 6 Georgia that Auburn pitching did not record a strikeout.
Leslie Jury started and took the loss to fall to 9-2. Jury allowed six runs, three earned, on 10 hits with four walks and five strikeouts in five and one-third innings. Jackie Traina pitched the final one and two-third innings allowing one run, earned, on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts.
The Tigers mounted a scoring threat in the top of the first. Morgan Estell led off with a single down the leftfield line. After stealing second, Estell took third on a one-out infield single by Carosone. Jury, however, was able to leave the runners stranded as she fanned Brooke Lathan on a swinging third strike and ended the inning on a ground to third by Caitlin Schultze.
Auburn put two runners on in the top of the second. Caitlin Jordan led off with a single and was followed by Baylee Stephens who put down a sac bunt. Jadyn Spencer fielded the bunt but threw wildly to first, allowing Stephens to reach safely. A sac bunt by Maris Medina moved Jade Rhodes, pinch-running for Jordan, to third and Stephens to second with one out. A two-out walk to Estell loaded the bases. Once again, though, Jury was able to keep the Tigers off the board she forced Branndi Melero to fly out to right to end the inning.
Alabama took the lead in the bottom of the second inning. Jackie Traina led off with a single and was lifted for pinch-runner Kallie Case who stole second base. A single back up the middle by Spencer plated Case for a 1-0 Tide lead.
Danielle Richard followed with a two-run home run that hit off the scoreboard in left-center, pushing the Alabama lead to 3-0.
Carosone put the Tigers on the board with a leadoff home run in the top of third. It was Carosone's third home run of the season. Lathan followed the homer with a five-pitch walk. A ground out by Schultze moved Lathan to second with one out. A single to center by Jordan plated Lathan, cutting the Alabama lead to 3-2. Stephens followed with a single through the right side, moving Jordan to second. Medina followed with a sac bunt that was fielded by Richard at third, who fired back to Danae Hays covering third base. The throw was wild, for an error, and Jordan, attempting to score on the play, was thrown out at home. Stephens took third and Medina second on the play.
Tiffany Howard followed with a ground ball to Richard who fielded and fired wildly to first, also for an error. Stephens and Medina scored, giving Auburn a 4-3 lead. Howard took second on the play and came in to score on Richard's third error of the inning, this time a throwing error to first on a ground ball by Estell. Howard's run gave Auburn a 5-3 lead.
Following the five-run third inning, the Tigers and Tide took turns stranding runners on base. Auburn left the bases loaded in the fourth inning while Alabama left two runners on in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
After the Tigers put two on with one out in the top of the sixth, Jury was lifted for Traina. Carosone reached on an infield single and took second on a ground out. Schultze followed with an infield single that bounced off the glove of a diving Richard, putting runners on the corners. Kristyn Richards was put in to run for Schultze at first. On a 3-1 pitch to Jordan, Traina threw wildly high for ball four. The ball went to the backstop and allowed Carosone to score to make it 6-3. Richards took third on the play. Traina, however, would hold the Tigers to just one run in the inning as she struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, Harper retired Andrew Hawkins and Kayla Braud on consecutive ground outs, before allowing an infield single Haylie McCleney. Harper recovered and left the runner stranded when Kaila Hunt fouled out to Schultze behind home plate.
Carosone extended Auburn's lead in the top of the seventh with a two-out, RBI double to the wall in center. The double scored Estell, who walked, to give the Tigers a 7-3 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Harper worked ahead but Traina took her 1-2 offering over the wall in center for a leadoff home run to cut the Auburn lead to 7-4. It was Traina's ninth home run of the season and second of the series. Harper battled back, though, and forced Spencer to fly out to left for the first out of the inning.
On a 1-1 pitch, Richard laced a fly ball to center that was caught on the run by an extended Howard for the second out. Harper closed the door on any two-inning rally threat when she forced Hays to pop up to second for the final out.