March 3, 2013
Auburn, Ala. - The Auburn softball closed out the War Eagle Classic with a 14-0 win over Southern University. The 14 runs marked a season high for the Tigers.
Auburn improved to 16-5 on the season while Southern dropped to 0-19. Auburn will next play a doubleheader at Alabama State on Wednesday, March 6, beginning at 4 p.m. The Tigers will then host the No. 4 Florida Gators in a three-game series March 8-10 at Jane B. Moore Field.
"It was good to get a win after splitting two games yesterday," Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. "This was our last weekend of non-conference play so it was good to see everyone hitting. It was good to see Morgan (Estell) flash some power with a home run and Branndi (Melero) continues to drive in runs for us."
Lexi Davis improved to 5-2 with a complete-game win. Davis scattered three hits, walked two and struck out four.
Delphia Holmes started and took the loss to fall to 0-7. Holmes allowed six runs, three earned, on six hits with one walk and no strikeouts.
Auburn put up a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Tiffany Howard singled with one out and moved into scoring position when she stole second base. After a passed ball moved Howard to third, Branndi Melero's slow ground out to the pitcher brought her home for a 1-0 Auburn lead. After Emily Carosone was hit by a pitch, Brooke Lathan singled to put runners at second and first. Caitlin Jordan followed with a single to center that plated Carosone to make it 2-0.
The Tigers increased their lead in the top of the second inning. With two outs, Melero laced a single to right field to score Morgan Estell (fielder's choice) to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead. Carosone followed with a ground ball that second baseman Emily Wright booted, allowing Howard (single) to score and make it 4-0. Lathan made it 6-0 with a single to left that plated Melero and Carosone.
Melero's third RBI of the day gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Estell led off with a single and advanced to third on an error by Wright at second base, which also allowed Howard to reach on a fielder's choice. Melero then delivered a sacrifice fly to right to score Estell. Carosone followed with a single up the middle to plate Howard and make it 8-0.
Still in the fourth, Lathan made it 10-0 with a two-run home run to right. It was Lathan's second home run of the season. Jordan followed with a fly ball to right that Whitney King allowed to hit off the heel of her glove for the fourth Southern error of the day. Southern's sixth error of the day allowed Jordan to score. Austyn West hit a fly ball that Jasmine Payne dropped in left field, Jordan scored on the play to make it 11-0.
With two outs in the fourth, the Tigers made it a 14-0 game when Estell launched a three-run home run to center. It was Estell's first home run of the season and would cap the scoring for the game.