Auburn Softball Splits DH With No. 11 Florida State

March 25, 2015


Auburn
Auburn
(32-3, 6-0 SEC)
March 25, 2015
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#8 Auburn Tigers
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#11 Florida State Seminoles
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20140916_logo_fsu.jpg
Florida State
(27-7)
Feature Box Score | Softball Schedule | AUBTix.com| ESPN3 Replay
Auburn
Auburn
(33-3, 6-0 SEC)
March 25, 2015
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#8 Auburn Tigers
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#11 Florida State Seminoles
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20140916_logo_fsu.jpg
Florida State
(27-8)
Feature Box Score | Softball Schedule | AUBTix.com| ESPN3 Replay

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The No. 8 Auburn softball team earned a double-header split with No. 11 Florida State Wednesday night in Tallahassee, Fla., falling in game one to the Seminoles, 10-7, but then bouncing back with a 10-4 victory in game two, its 33rd win of the year.

Auburn (33-3, 6-0 SEC) had a steady dose of offense in game two to pick up its first win over the Seminoles (27-8) since 2011, eighth all-time. The Tigers only needed nine hits to score 10 runs, with a little help from four Florida State errors. The Seminoles committed a combined eight errors over the two games with the Tigers, matching a season-high with four in each game.

Senior Branndi Melero finished game two 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. It was her third three-hit game this season and third game with four RBI or more in one game. Redshirt sophomore Haley Fagan wasn't far behind, going 2-for-5 with two RBI and one run scored.

For Melero, two of her three hits were for extra bases as she recorded a double and a triple. The triple was her second triple of her career and eighth by a Tiger this season.

Auburn didn't record a home run in Wednesday night's game two, marking only the third game this season that the Tigers didn't put one over the wall.

As for the pitching, junior Rachael Walters got the call to start game two and went a full seven innings, scattering eight hits and giving up only three earned runs for her 12th win of the year, staying undefeated. The complete game performance was her team-leading fourth complete game of the season.

The Tigers got off to another fast start in Wednesday's night cap, scoring three runs in the top of the first, two coming off the triple by Melero. Fagan brought around the third run with her first hit of the game, getting Auburn off and running with a 3-0 lead.

Auburn continued to add runs to its lead after the strong first, one each in the second and third innings, but the Seminoles were able to cut it to 5-3 in the fourth as Walters struggled with the middle half of FSU's lineup.

Luckily, she was able to settle down striking out the final two batters of the inning and preserving the two-run lead. Two of her three strikeouts in the game came in that crucial fourth inning as Florida State was on the verge of making its second comeback of the day.

It was the only inning that Florida State mustered any offense as the Tigers put together a five-run fifth to break open the game with the help of four hits, only one for extra-bases and three walks. After the five runs came across, the Tigers had built a 10-3 lead, with the game well in hand.

The three-run loss in game one snapped an eight-game winning streak the Tigers had coming into Wednesday's double-header. The two teams traded blows through the early innings as a combined 13 runs came across in just the first three innings.

Auburn had the early 3-0 lead on their ACC-foes through one and a half inning, but Florida State plated seven on starter Lexi Davis in the bottom of the second to reclaim a lead that it never relinquished the rest of the way.

Davis only made it through 1.2 innings in the circle, giving up seven earned runs on six hits with three walks and only one strikeout. She was relieved in the middle of the second inning by junior Marcy Harper, who kept the Seminole offense in relative check, going four-plus strong with only three hits and two earned runs given up.

The loss for Davis was her first of the season as she is now 14-1 on the year. Florida State's Lacey Waldrop moved to 18-3 on the season with the victory.

Auburn nearly climbed back into the game in the top of the third inning when junior Jade Rhodes hit her nation-leading 15th home run of the season. Three runs came home with one swing of the bat and made it a 7-6 game in favor of the Seminoles.

But after the big homer, Auburn only mustered one run over the final four innings, while Florida State padded its lead with three more runs for the 10-7 victory.

Seven hits were totaled for the Tigers in game one by seven different players. Rhodes came away with the big line, going just 1-for-4 with the three RBI coming off the third inning home run.

The Tigers will resume their conference schedule this weekend playing a three-game series at Missouri in Columbia with the first game scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday's game will both be televised on the SEC Network. Game times are set for 7 and 12 p.m., respectively.

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.