March 16, 2015
|
 Box Score| Softball Schedule| AUBTix.com|SEC Network Replay |
OXFORD, Miss. - After hitting three more home runs and getting another solid pitching performance, the No. 12 Auburn softball team defeated Ole Miss, 10-2 in six innings Monday night, to sweep the series over the Rebels and start Southeastern Conference play with a 3-0 record.
The sweep is Auburn's first to open conference play since the team took three-straight from Arkansas in 2011 and is the team's first over Ole Miss since 2009. Two of Auburn's victories over the Rebels in the series came by the run-rule, giving the Tigers 18 for the season, matching last season's total.
The team had eight home runs on the weekend coming into Monday and added three more fromEmily Carosone, Branndi Melero and Haley Fagan. It was Melero and Fagan's first home runsof the series and Carosone's third.
Carosone went1-for-1 with three runs scored and two RBI. Carosone has re-taken the team-lead with 13 home runs and 47 RBI. Both totals surpass her numbers from a year ago as she is on a breakneck pace to set new career-high numbers in all offensive categories.
In the circle, junior Rachael Walters picked up her 10th win, going five strong innings and giving up two earned runs, while scattering eight hits. The junior allowed one runthrough four frames and looked to be on her way to the complete game, but ran into trouble in the sixth and had to be taken out.
Monday's game was Walters first start of the series, but she had two good relief appearances in the two games before, finishing the three-game set with nine innings pitched and only two earned runs given up with one win and one save. The win on Sunday keeps Walters undefeated on the year as she joins Lexi Davis as the second pitcher with at least 10 wins this season.
Back on the offensive side of the ball, the real hero of the weekend still goes to junior Jade Rhodes. Coming in to Monday, Rhodes was 4-for-4 with four-straight home runs and reached base seven-straight times. She couldn't continue the home run streak in tonight's game, but she did go 1-for-3 with a triple, her first of her career.
Rhodes was 5-for-7 with nine RBI, four home runs and a triple. Of the 11 home runs hit over the last three games, seven came off the bat of Carosone and Rhodes. Both players continue to lead the conference in long balls with 13 and 12, respectively.
Auburn finished with nine hits, all from the team's top-six hitters. Howard, Cooper and Fagan each had two hits each with Howard hitting her fifth triple of the season, setting the new Auburn single-season record.
In the fourth inning, with already two outs, Howard started a rally with a tripleinto the left field corner, which led to Auburn's fifth, sixth and seventh runs of the game.
Auburn returns to the home field for the first time in two weeks next Friday when it starts a three-game SEC series with No. 14 Kentucky at 6 p.m. Saturday's second gamewill begin at 6 p.m. and Sunday's finale will be at 1 p.m. All games can be seen on WatchESPN only throughout the weekend.
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.