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KISSIMMEE, Fla. - The Auburn University softball team saw some good competition on its first day of the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic, going toe-to-toe with No. 4 Oregon and getting a late-inning comeback against Illinois State to split its games on Friday. The Ducks defeated Auburn, 3-0, in its first game of the day, but bounced back to defeat Illinois State, 3-2, in game two, getting a go-ahead two-run single from sophomore Jade Rhodes, which turned out to be the game winner.
Against the Redbirds, Auburn found itself down 2-0, heading into the sixth inning, but finally got on the board after a solo home run from sophomore Kelsey Bogaards. In the seventh, Auburn was down to its final out with the bases loaded before Rhodes tacked on her second hit of the game to score redshirt junior Morgan Estell and freshman Kasey Cooper.
The two runs gave the Orange and Blue the 3-2 lead as the game went to the bottom of the seventh. Sophomore Lexi Davis, who pitched in game one against Oregon, came in to close the game and did so, giving the Tigers their first win of the weekend.
Sophomore Marcy Harper started the game in the circle for Auburn, going six strong innings with only four hits given up and two earned runs. The two runs came in her final inning of work after a two-run home run by Illinois State's Laura Canopy, but she was able to minimize the damage and tallied seven strikeouts in the game.
The Tigers had nine hits in the game against Illinois State, but could never get any runs to come around until the final two innings. AU left 11 runners stranded on the base paths during the game, its most it has left on this season.
Earlier in the day, Davis and Oregon pitcher Cheridan Hawkins pitched to a nice duel through five innings, but the Ducks broke through for three runs in the sixth inning, which included a two-run home run by Alexa Peterson. The three runs was all Oregon needed for the win as Hawkins racked up 12 strikeouts in the win.
Nonetheless, Davis pitched a solid seven innings, giving up only two walks with two strikeouts. The loss drops her to 7-3 on the year.
Auburn returns to the field Saturday as it will take on Syracuse with first pitch scheduled for 1:15 p.m. eastern at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. The Tigers second game of the day will come against Maryland and will start at 3:30 p.m. eastern.
The Auburn games can be heard locally on WEGL 91.1 or online at AuburnTigers.com. Live stats will also be available on AuburnTigers.com throughout the weekend for all games.
For more information on Auburn softball, visit AuburnTigers.com, follow the team on Twitter @AuburnTigersSB or follow them on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuburnSB.