Feb. 13, 2015
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AUBURN, Ala. - The 17th-ranked Auburn Tiger softball team notched another run-rule victory in the win column Friday night as it defeated Ball State, 12-1, on the second day of the Tiger Invitational at Jane B. Moore Field.
Auburn benefitted from 10 total hits and the entire pitching staff combined to only give up two hits and one earned run, giving starter Lexi Davis her fourth win of the year, pushing her record to 4-0.
Offensively, junior Emily Carosone, along with sophomore Kasey Cooper and redshirt freshman Victoria Draper led the way with two hits each, but junior Jade Rhodes came away with the big fly as she hit her fourth home run of the season in the first inning, a grand slam to get the Tigers off and running.
As a team, Auburn has hit 16 long balls already this year and five have been grand slams. For Rhodes, it was her first grand slam of the year and third grand slam over the last two seasons.
"The goal is to go out there and win," Auburn head coach Clint Myers said. "We expect to go out there and win. The thing we talk about all the time is that games are lost, not won. So, we have to go out there and beat the others in the opposing dugout and we have to go out there and play Auburn softball.
The win keeps the Tigers undefeated at 9-0 and is the team's eighth run-rule victory this season, all in no more than five innings. In five of Auburn's wins this season, the team has scored 10 runs or more and are now outscoring its opponents, 106-20.
After Rhodes' slam gave Auburn the 4-0 lead, the Tigers tacked on three more in the second after working around some runners, getting a key double by Carosone, her second hit of the night. Carosone finished a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, marking her fifth multi-hit game this season.
Ball State tried to climb back into the game, getting one run back in the top of the third, but the Auburn offense continued its tear on the Cardinals pitching staff, adding three more runs in the bottom half of the inning, making the lead 9-1.
With the large lead, Myers was able to clear his bench and get nearly the entire lineup at least one at-bat. Draper had the big numbers off the bench, going 2-for-2, her first multi-hit game of her career. Freshman Whitney Jordan also recorded her first collegiate hit, knocking a double to drive in redshirt sophomore Anna Gibbs for the RBI.
In the circle, Auburn got two good innings from Davis, before the coaching staff turned it over to the bullpen, giving one inning to Marcy Harper, Rachael Walters and Jenna Abbott. After Harper gave up the lone earned run off a Ball State homer, the Auburn pitchers gave up no hits the rest of the way, striking out two.
The Tigers are back on the field Saturday for the third day of the Tiger Invitational when they face Mercer for a second time this weekend and Eastern Illinois. The game against Mercer is set for 2:45 p.m., while the Eastern Illinois game will occur directly after at roughly 5:15 p.m. Both games can be seen online only on SEC Network+, which can be found via the Watch ESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
Fans can order their tickets for this season online at AUBTix.com, over the phone by calling 1-855-282-2010 or in person by visiting the Auburn Arena Ticket Office, which is open 7:45 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Tickets are still available for the full season, pick-six mini-packs and individual games.
For more information on Auburn softball, visit AuburnTigers.com, follow the team on Twitter @Auburn_Softball or follow them on Facebook at Facebook.com/AuburnSoftball.