Feb. 13, 2016
AUBURN, Ala. - A total of 37 runs were scored Saturday afternoon by the fourth-ranked Auburn softball team, all coming on 35 hits as the offense carried the day, beating Butler 28-2 in five innings and Furman, 9-2, in seven innings at Jane B. Moore Field.
Sophomore Whitney Jordan went a combined 3-for-6 at the plate with five RBI and one grand slam, her first collegiate home run. Jordan now has 8 RBI through the first four games, leading all Auburn players.
In the circle, freshman Makayla Martin picked up her first victory of the year, tossing a strong four innings against Butler, giving up only four hits and one earned run with three strikeouts.
In game two against the Paladins, senior Marcy Harper was back for her second start of the season and picked up where she left off Thursday night. Harper went a full five innings, scattering four hits and allowing no runs with three strikeouts. Through her two starts, Harper has yet to give up a run in nine innings.
The Tigers' first double-header of the season proved not to be too tough of a test as the bats seemed to have woken up in game one against the Bulldogs. The 28 runs scored in Saturday's first game set a new school record for runs scored in a single game. Auburn's previous high came back in 1999 when the Tigers plated 26 runs against Florida A&M.
Auburn only left six players on base in the entire game, capitalizing with runners on base. Sophomore Whitney Jordan had the best game at the plate, going 2-for-3 with five RBI, four coming off a first inning grand slam for her first collegiate home run.
All five of Jordan's RBI came in the first frame as she had an RBI single in her first at-bat, helping Auburn to a 15 run, 12 hit first inning. Of the 12 hits, three were home runs, coming off the bats of Kasey Cooper, Carlee Wallace and Jordan. For each player, they were their first long balls of the year.
The Tigers ended up batting around twice, and scoring 10 runs with two outs. At one point, Auburn batted around its lineup with two outs in the inning. The 15 runs also set a new Auburn record for most runs in a single inning.
Other offensive performances of note against Butler included 2-for-3 days for returning All-Americans Tiffany Howard, Kasey Cooper and Emily Carosone. Redshirt sophomore Victoria Draper was a perfect 3-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI, while freshman Morgan Podany and sophomore Emily Spain each recorded multi-hit games, going 2-for-2 at the plate.
Later in the game as Auburn had cleared its bench and replaced its starters in the lineup, the Tigers continued to pound the ball. The complete offensive performance was capitalized after freshman Bree Fornis hit Auburn's second grand slam of the day coming in the third inning. For Fornis, it was her first career home run and was Auburn's fifth home run as a team in the game. Fornis ended up 2-for-2 in the game with four RBI.
Auburn had to work a little more to put away Furman in game two. The Paladins starting pitcher, Lindsey Bert only allowed two runs through the first four innings and had really kept the hot Auburn offense in check.
In the second inning, RBI singles by Howard and Madi Gipson were all Auburn could muster early. A far cry from the double-digit totals seen in the last couple of games.
For the first time in the young season, the Tigers were not able to run-rule its opponent within the five inning limit, but continued to battle at the plate, looking for a way to break the game open.
Meanwhile, in the field, Harper continued to throw up zeroes on the board, only giving up three hits through four innings. Unable to get on top of Harper, the Paladins couldn't do anything about the two-run deficit.
Auburn finally started to chip away at Bert, scoring two more times in the fifth inning off a two-run home run by Cooper, her second of the day. With the homer, the Tigers took a 4-0 lead and never looked back, getting five more in the top half of the seventh.
Howard ended the game 3-for-4 with the one RBI in the second. Combined on the day, the Georgia-native went 5-for-7 with two RBI and three runs scored. Cooper, on the other hand, finished the game against Furman 2-for-3 with two runs score and two RBI off the homer. Combined, she went 4-for-6 with six RBI and two home runs.
The Tigers will finish out the Plainsman Invite Sunday at Jane B. Moore Field with another game against Appalachian State at 1 p.m. Auburn defeated the Mountaineers in Thursday's opener, 9-0 in five innings, and will look to go 2-0 against them on the weekend Sunday.
The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+, which is only available via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app. Live audio will also be broadcast via WEGL 91.1 FM and on AuburnTigers.com.
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.